States according priority to water employment can deliver : Advani

New Delhi, July 31 (UNI) Leader of the Opposition L K Advani today said the states which accord top priority to irrigation and employment would be the ones to attain development and progress.

Addressing the day long conference of the Bharatiya Yuva Morcha this morning, Mr Advani reminded the famous slogan coined by Jansangh ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay "Har Khet Ko Paani Haar Haath Ko Kaam (Water for every land and work for every hand)''. Mr Advani said the states which tread the path of distribution of water and employment to the people would be successful governments.

Commending the initiative of the BJYM in bringing out a status report after conducting the surveys in 120 of the 200 districts where National Rural Employment Programme was implemented, Mr Advani said he was happy to know that two BJP-ruled states Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan topped the list of implementation by the states accounting for 40 per cent of total employments provided in the country. Congress-ruled Andhra Pradesh was in the third place followed by Orissa which is ruled by coalition of Biju Janata Dal and the BJP.

He said though the BJP was in the opposition benches, it had an equal role in passage of the NREP Act at least in 200 districts of the country. ''Our senior MP and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh had headed the Committee that vetted the amendments to the law and the BJP was equally responsible for passage of the Bill''.

He said the Employment Plan was conceptualised during the NDA regime and the new government as usual had changed nomenclatures just to deny the credit to the previous governments. Many existing programmes carrying the name of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay were all changed and substituted by the names of members of a family, he said.

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