Guwahati (Assam) [India], March 13 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday highlighted the contrasting approaches of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and the Congress party, asserting that, at one end, the NDA government is focused on the welfare of farmers, while the Congress continues to show a lack of commitment to the nation.

Speaking at an event in Guwahati, the Prime Minister referred to the ongoing global crisis and the situation in West Asia. PM Modi criticised the Congress for spreading misinformation. He urged Congress members to revisit a speech by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, noting that Nehru had observed that the wars in South and North Korea were contributing to inflation in India.

'While the BJP-led NDA government is working towards supporting farmers and achieving self-reliance for the country, the Congress party has once again demonstrated a lack of commitment to the nation. Even in times of crisis caused by war, Congress remains focused on spreading misinformation and falsehoods. I urge members of Congress to listen to Pandit Nehru's August 15th speech--you may find it enlightening. Pandit Nehru once remarked that the wars in South and North Korea were contributing to inflation in our country,' PM Modi said.

Highlighting Assam's development, the Prime Minister described the state as 'Ashtalakshmi', calling it a model for the future of India's North East. He emphasised that the progress in Assam is giving new momentum to the entire region. He also spoke about the transformation of India's railways over the past decade: the entire rail network has been electrified, reducing dependence on oil imports and saving approximately 17 million litres of diesel annually.

'Assam, today, is becoming a model for the new future of our North East, that is, Ashtalakshmi. The progress here is giving a new momentum to the entire North East. To reduce the Railways' dependence on other countries and minimise oil imports, significant progress has been made over the past decade. In the last 10 years, the entire rail network across the country has been electrified. As a result of this electrification, approximately 17 million litres of diesel are being saved annually,' the Prime Minister said.

PM Modi further addressed agricultural reforms, contrasting the BJP-NDA government's initiatives with the past policies of the Congress party. He noted that five major fertiliser plants had been shut down due to previous mismanagement, but the government revived them and introduced innovations like Nano Urea.

The Prime Minister added that the government is also taking steps towards promoting natural farming practices, which aim to protect soil health and safeguard farmers from the global crisis.

'Due to the flawed policies of the Congress party, five of the country's major fertiliser plants had been shut down; we took the initiative to revive and restart those plants. Furthermore, we have undertaken various measures to introduce farmers to Nano Urea. Today, farmers across the country are reaping the benefits of these initiatives. Now, the BJP-NDA government is actively encouraging the nation's farmers to adopt natural farming practices. When farmers embrace natural farming on a large scale, it will not only safeguard the health of the soil but also protect our Annadatas from the impact of global crisis,' said the Prime Minister. (ANI)