Saurabh Sharma,TNN | Jun 6, 2015, 01.11 AM IST
"The country was waiting for a messiah for the past 1,000 years and he has come in the form of Narendra Modi. He is not an ordinary PM says Bharti.
JAIPUR: Union minister for water resources, Uma Bharti called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a messiah who has arrived after 1,000 years. Launching Jal Kranti Abhiyan, a nationwide programme from Jaipur, she pulled up Congress for allegedly communalizing the Namami Gange project and revival of river Saraswati for political gains.
"The country was waiting for a messiah for the past 1,000 years and he has come in the form of Narendra Modi. He is not an ordinary PM," said Bharti.
Refuting charges that revival of river Saraswati was part of saffron agenda, Bharti claimed that rivers were revered in India and one should respect this sentiment and faith. "I can't understand what this saffron agenda is! Is saffron bad? Cleaning river Ganga is our economic agenda, it is an agenda to dispel poverty and to bring smiles on the faces of farmers. Livelihood of 50 crore people in this country is dependent on it and it includes both Hindus and Muslims," added Bharti.
She maintained that spearheading the Namami Gange project was a blessing and that she is unapologetic about her involvement in the Ayodhya Andolan and the Tiranga Yatra. "Tasks that were given to me earlier like Ayodhaya Andolan, Tiranga Yatra and to work on ousting Congress government form Madhya Pradesh required me to be a fire brand. Now, in this ministry, I have turned into a water brand".
Taking a jibe at former PM Manmohan Singh, Bharti pointed that he would not even know how much was spent for cleaning river Ganga. "In the past 29 years, Rs 5,000 crore was spent for Ganga rejuvenation. I tried to find where it was spent, but could not find it, as Ganga still remains dirty. If I ask Manmohan Singh he would say 'Mainu ki patta' (I don't know) or 'Mainu sunai nahi de raha' (I can't hear)".
Bharti claimed that some people were unable to stomach that the PMO is functioning independently. "Those who are saying that government has become PMO-centric are unable to understand that the PM is the 'pradhan' of all ministers. It is not their mistake, as during the 10-year UPA rule, the PMO used to function through a remote control from somewhere else," she said.
On the criticism by Murli Manhor Joshi, where he said that cleaning of Ganga in bits or by making a separate ministry will not solve the problem, Bharti pointed that she will approach him and take his guidance.
PM a messiah who arrived after 1,000 years: Uma Bharti - The Times of India