Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured people that every penny spent by the Centre in the state would be fruitfully utilised.
"If anyone steals the money he or she will land in jail," said the Prime Minister who was cheered on by the capacity crowd at Nabarangpur in southern Odisha bordering Chhattisgarh.
Targeting corruption and taking a dig at the Congress, Modi sought to remind people of the statement made by former Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi 40 years ago without naming Gandhi. "Forty years ago a Prime Minister had said that of the ₹1 that he sends to the state from Delhi for the poor only 15 paise reaches the intended beneficiary. This means, Congresswallahs used to siphon off 85 paise out of every ₹1 that the Centre gave the state.”
Modi continued, “But now the son of a poor family is in power to serve you. I say not a single paisa sent by me for your development can be stolen by anyone. If anyone dares do that he or she will land in jail and have their food there. This is Modi's guarantee."
He said that raids were continuing in Jharkhand from where a mountain of currency had been recovered. "When I try to stop corruption the Opposition targets me. Now tell me, if stop their theft, stop their earning, stop their loot, will they abuse Modi or not? Should I do this work or not? “
He said his mantra was "vikas bhio virasat bhi (development and legacy)".
