Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Tuesday claimed that now only six crore people are living below poverty line (BPL) and they will be raised above it if the NDA government returns to power.
He charged the Congress with failing to eradicate poverty in the country since the time of Indira Gandhi.
"The country is growing under the dynamic leadership of Narendra Modi. Only six crore people are BPL now. If the NDA government returns to power, all of them will be raised above it in a few years through the schemes launched by the Centre," Singh said while addressing an election meeting here.
"The Congress has been bluffing the people by propagating Garibi Hathao. But it had never succeeded. Right from the days of Indira Gandhi, it has made several schemes for removing poverty but failed every time," Singh said.
But poverty has been removed to a great extent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through his poverty alleviation schemes, the senior BJP leader claimed.
Canvassing for BJP candidate and Union minister Jayant Sinha for the Hazaribagh Lok Sabha seat, the Home Minister said top world leaders have accepted that the way India is growing, very soon it will become among the top three nations in the world.
He said Sinha has brought central funds worth Rs 25,000 crore in Hazaribagh and no parliamentarian has invested that much amount in five years for development of a constituency.
He also advised Jayant Sinha to develop coal-based industry in Hazaribagh and Ramgarh as the two districts have rich coal deposits and could provide employment to local youths.