Hitting back at the Congress for taunting Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as "nange bhooke ghar ka" (from a poverty-stricken household), Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday said the opposition party will further lose its base among masses by indulging in "cheap talk".
Addressing an election campaign rally on Sunday in Rajpur in Ashoknagar, Congress farmers' cell leader Dinesh Gurjar highlighted Chouhan's humble origins and that of "big industrialist" former chief minister Kamal Nath.
"You (Congress) indulge in such cheap talk as you have nothing else to say. Is it a sin to be a poor in this country? Kamal Nath may belong to an influential family but what has he done for the state?" the agriculture minister told reporters.
He said Chouhan earned his position through toil and the state has progressed under him.
"People will evaluate Chouhan on the basis of his developmental work and not on the basis of statements made by a Congress leader. The Congress should desist from making such cheap comments or else it will lose their remaining base too in the state," Tomar said.
He said the BJP is better-placed than the Congress to win November 3 bypolls to 28 assembly seats in the state.
"People have seen their (Congress) 15-month misrule during which corruption was at its peak. Tall promises made during elections (in 2018) remained unfulfilled. Everyone from Shyamla Hills (CM's residence) to down the line was indulged in looting the state," Tomar said, adding that people will vote for the BJP for bringing development.
He further said Nath had failed to keep the Congress' pre-poll promise of waiving loans of farmers.
"On the contrary, the BJP is a farmer-friendly party which has taken a slew of measures for the welfare of farmers like giving Rs 4,000 from its side to beneficiaries of the PM Kisan Kalyan Nidhi, due to which farmers are now getting Rs 10,000," he said.
Hailing new farm laws, Tomar said PM Narendra Modi is working hard to make agriculture a profitable profession.
"Congress has been adopting double standards on the issue. It makes a certain announcement in its poll manifesto and talks about something else on the ground. No farmer in the country is supporting the Congress' agitation on the issue," he added.
