New Delhi: BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla launched a scathing attack on Congress, branding it as anti-Ram, anti-village, anti-Viksit Bharat, and anti-farmer amid the party’s criticism of the Centre’s new ‘Jai Ram Ji’ scheme replacing MGNREGA.
In an exclusive interview, Poonawalla highlighted the hypocrisy of Congress leaders who once admitted MGNREGA wasn’t a permanent solution. ‘Today, they’re shedding crocodile tears over MGNREGA, but leaders like Jairam Ramesh had confessed it’s no final fix,’ he remarked.
Under PM Modi’s NDA government, funding for MGNREGA has surged manifold compared to the UPA era. Poonawalla recalled how Congress stalwarts Sharad Pawar and P Chidambaram advocated shifting more responsibility to states for better accountability, easing the burden on farmers.
The new scheme promises 125 days of guaranteed work, instant payments, and full transparency—all pillars of Viksit Bharat. Yet, Congress opposes it fiercely, he alleged.
Shifting gears, Poonawalla dismissed Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Anand Dubey’s remarks on Bihar’s SIR process, which was overseen by the Supreme Court. Despite opposition cries of voter deletions, no party challenged the final list in court.
He accused the opposition of stirring unrest against SIR in UP and West Bengal, using it as a pretext to shield infiltrators while blaming EVMs and the Election Commission.
On Karnataka’s BBMP polls reverting to ballot papers, Poonawalla called it a desperate Congress ploy to save family interests. ‘Ballot or EVM, Congress will lose,’ he predicted confidently.
Poonawalla’s broadside underscores deepening political divides as elections loom, with BJP positioning its welfare reforms against what it calls Congress’s regressive stance.