Bhopal: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday released the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government’s ‘report card’ from 2003-2023, claiming that the state has come out of ‘BIMARU’ category tag due to developments done in the past two decades.
He said that Madhya Pradesh came into existence in 1956 and since then, except for five-six years, the Congress ruled the state till 2003, but the state remained ‘BIMARU’ during their regime.
People of Madhya Pradesh took a historic decision in 2003 by removing the government of ‘Bantadhar’ (referring to the former chief minister Digvijaya Singh’s tenure from 1993-2003), subsequently, BJP government laid the foundation of making the state developed and self-reliant in the last 20 years, the Union Home Minister said.
“BJP government has successfully brought the state out of the ‘BIMARU’ tag and put it on the path of development by implementing various welfare schemes,” Shah said, adding that the Congress also should present a report card of its nearly five-decade rule in the state.
The ‘BIMARU’ term has often been used to refer to Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, to imply that these states lagged in terms of economic growth, healthcare, education, and other indices.
Presenting the report card in Bhopal on Sunday, the Home Minister said Madhya Pradesh is at the top in the country with a contribution of 45 per cent in wheat exports as it has distributed more than 3.62 crore Ayushman cards and has achieved the first position. Quality of rural roads developed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in MP is the best in the country, he added.
Madhya Pradesh BJP government led by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has approved cases worth Rs 4,300 crore under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund Scheme and the state has achieved the second place in constructing houses in rural areas under the PM Awas Yojna (PMAY).
Shah highlighted the achievements of the MP BJP government such as — 1.36 crore people have come out of poverty in the state and claimed that state’s per capita income has increased from Rs 12,000 in 2003 to Rs 1.40 lakh at present.
He said the Congress won’t dare come out with its report card of 50 years of ruling the state.
“We have started a new tradition of giving accountability in the country wherever we are in power. I want to tell Congress leaders that they should not mislead people by talking of irrelevant things. The Congress should give the report card of its development. The pair of ‘Mr ‘Bantadhar and Nath should give the report card of Congress’ 53 years of rule,” he added.