PANAJI: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday hailed the Swayampurna Goa programme as a model for a developed India, while launching a sharp attack on the Congress over its ‘Save Democracy Yatra’.
Chouhan arrived in Goa to participate in programmes marking the sixth anniversary of Swayampurna Goa, which was launched on October 2, 2020, with a focus on taking government schemes and services to people at the grassroots.
Congratulating Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the people of Goa, Chouhan said the initiative had taken governance to the doorstep of citizens. “Swayampurna Goa is a model for a developed India (Viksit Bharat), and I feel fortunate to participate in this sixth anniversary programme,” he said. Chouhan also praised Goa’s culture and hospitality, saying the state reflected the spirit of Atithi Devo Bhava and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.
Turning to politics, Chouhan criticised the Congress’ ‘Loktantra Bachao Yatra’, alleging that the exercise was aimed at protecting political families. “This is not a ‘Save Democracy’ yatra; it is a ‘Save Dynasty’ yatra,” he said. He also accused the Congress of spreading lies and creating disorder, while questioning the party’s record on democracy. “Who imposed the Emergency? It was Congress that crushed democracy by imposing the Emergency,” Chouhan said.
He alleged that Congress had dissolved elected State governments more than 50 times and changed Chief Ministers frequently. Chouhan also backed efforts to clean up electoral rolls, questioning why deceased persons or duplicate entries should remain on voter lists. “Whenever work is done to clean up voter lists, Congress opposes it. After all, the voter list is the soul of democracy,” he said.
“Why should there be incorrect names? Why should the names of deceased individuals remain on voter lists? Why shouldn't duplicate entries listed in two places be removed from one?” He also questioned the presence of names of people who are not Indian citizens on electoral rolls.
Chouhan claimed that Congress had lost national and State elections 99 times under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership and said the party was “about to complete a century of losses”. He also invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s post-Independence suggestion that Congress should be dissolved and converted into a Lok Sevak Sangh. “The time has come to dissolve Congress. Now the public is going to dissolve Congress,” he said.
