Our development has shut accounts of many: PM Modi

New Delhi, Feb 9

Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking on the motion of thanks in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday hit back at the Congress saying other than providing lip-service, it did nothing for the people but in the past 9 years, the BJP has opened 48 crore Jan Dhan accounts across the country.

Targeting Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who had launched a scathing attack on the Prime Minister and his government over the Adani issue on Wednesday, PM Modi said: "Khargeji complains that I visit Kalaburagi too often. He should see the work done there. As many as 1.70 crore Jan Dhan bank accounts have been opened in Karnataka, including over 8 lakh in Kalaburagi.

"While general public is being empowered, the accounts of many are getting shut and I understand their pain," said PM Modi taking a jibe at the opposition.

"In the last 3-4 years, around 11 crore houses have got tap water connections. For the empowerment of common people, we started the Jan Dhan account movement. In the last 9 years, 48 crore Jan Dhan accounts were opened across the country," said PM Modi on the developmental measures undertaken by the present government.

Further targetting the Congress said, he said: "When I became the Prime Minister in 2014, I saw that the Congress had created problems and issues everywhere, even though they wanted to create a strong foundation for India's overall development."

Commenting upon Congress's slogan on poverty, PM Modi continued, "They (Congress) used to say 'Gareebi Hatao' but did nothing for over 4 decades. As against them, we work hard to meet the expectations and aspirations of the people of the country. Our priority is the common public, and this is the reason we made LPG connections available to 25 crore families in the country."

However, as the Prime Minister's address continued in the upper house, a slogan from opposition "We want JPC" also rang simultaneously in the House.