Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
New Delhi: Two days before the steep tariff on Indian goods takes effect, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday assured small businesses, farmers and cattle rearers that their welfare remains the government's top priority.
Addressing a large gathering in Ahmedabad, Modi said, "Today, everyone is witnessing the kind of politics driven by economic self-interest. I want to tell my small entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, farmers and cattle rearers, your welfare is my government’s top priority. We will never allow any harm to come to you.” The Prime Minister added that India would withstand external pressures, and also said, “No matter how much pressure is put on us, India will prevail.”
His remarks came amid the US decision to impose 50 per cent tariffs on select Indian products beginning in August 27. Modi hit out at the Congress and accused it of making India dependent on foreign countries during its decades in power. He alleged that the Opposition was complicit in "import scams" and failed to act against terrorism. "When terrorists targeted India, the then Congress government did nothing. But today, we do not spare terrorists and their masters, no matter where they hide. The world has seen how we avenged the attack in Pahalgam by destroying terrorist camps within 22 minutes," he said.
Modi also said that around 2.5 crore Indians have been lifted out of poverty in the last 11 years. “When people rise out of poverty, they add strength to the nation. Our aim is to empower both the emerging and the existing middle class,” he said.
The Prime Minister also pointed to tax reforms. He also recalled the increase in income tax exemption limit to Rs 12 lakh and forthcoming changes in the Goods and Services Tax (GST). “This Diwali, from traders to ordinary families, everyone will receive a double bonus of happiness,” he said.
Earlier, in the day, Modi conducted a roadshow from Naroda Haridarshan Chowk to Nikol Khodaldham Ground where he laid the foundation of various developmental projects worth Rs 5,477 crore. He described Gujarat as the land of Lord Krishna and Mahatma Gandhi.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister is scheduled to inaugurate Maruti Suzuki's first electric vehicle production line for the e-Vitara at Haslanpur.
