Country is in Narendra Modi’s safe hands: Jaitley

Union finance minister Arun Jaitely today asserted that the country has a strong leadership led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has established a new political culture in India.

           

Addressing a party workers’ meeting here, Jaitely said Prime Minister Modi was constantly working for development of the country and he has courage to take tough decisions provided they are larger interest of the country. Referring to national security, the Union minister said  as the Centre dealt with the situation with  one of the worst-ever crises in Jammu and Kashmir shows that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a strong signal that the country’s security would not be comprised at any cost.

Recalling his association with Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu from his student days, Jaitely said it was Venkaiah, who always protected the interests of the residual State of Andhra Pradesh which has deficit budget. The Centre was extending all possible assistance to the State for its development through Special Assistance Package which is more than the help comes in case of special category status. He said the previous Congress-led UPA government at the Centre gave only Rs 69,298 crore in five years to then untied AP State, the Narendra Modi government, after the State’s bifurcation, would give Rs 2,03174 crore in five years to extend help to the revenue deficit State.

Union ministers M Venkaiah Naidu, Ashok Gajapati Raju, Sujana Choudhary, AP State BJP president and MP Haribabu and others attended the meeting. Earlier, Arun Jaitely laid foundation stone for the State administrative building complex at Lingayapalem under Talluru mandal in Guntur district in Amaravati. The administrative block would be built in 950 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 5,600 crore. (NSS)