Thaindian News

Gandhinagar, Feb 10 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday criticized the central government and said it was giving back to states only a part of what it was taking from them by way of taxes.
“My worthies in the opposition here should remember that the centre gets a chunk of its funds from the people of the states through various taxes and gives back a part of it under central schemes,” Modi said.

“There is no centre’s fund or states fund. It is all the money of the people, going back to the people. I am only ensuring that it reaches the right beneficiaries,” he added.

The chief minister who was addressing the 46th series of Garib Kalyan Melas at Mansa in this district said he had never claimed that the various benefits being given to the rural populace was his own money or that he was usurping central government funds.

“I have never hidden anything from anybody. The money belongs to the people and it is theirs by right so it is going back to them,” he added.

Modi pointed out that the biggest advantage of the melas being organised in various parts of the state was that the middleman had been rooted out and money was now directly reaching the beneficiaries.

“The middleman has made merry for decades. It is time he is sent out. For 60 long years schemes were in place but the benefits never reached those it was intended for. I have sought to remove the cobwebs of ignorance and ensured that a real beginning is made,” he said.