Jan Dhan Yojana will check chit funds:PM Modi

Raha (Assam), April 8: Raising Saradha scam issue for the first time in Assam poll campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on FRiday, April 8 said Jan Dhan Yojana has been launched to ensure that such fraud did not take place in future and promised that those involved in scams during Congress rule will not be spared.

"The poor went to chit funds because they did not have access to the banks. It was my government that has stopped them from going to chit funds by allowing them to open zero-balance bank accounts under the PM Jan Dhan Yojana," Modi told an election rally here.

Modi made the statements in the presence of BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was questioned by CBI in connection with the Saradha scam. Sarma was earlier a minister in Tarun Gogoi government.

"The poor were looted in Assam, West Bengal, Odisha in the Saradha chit fund scam and though those involved are rotting in jail, the fact remains that the poor lost their money," he said.

Attacking former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his statement that his government believed in more work than mere talks, Modi said "what he said was true and the scams of his period have started speaking now."

"Manmohanji ne kahan ki zubaan se zyada kaam bolta hain aur ab toh aapka kaam bolne laga hain. Yeh toh saach hain ki paap bolte hain aur ab toh parche khulne lage hain aur sab pareshan hain (Manmohanji had said that work speaks more than words and now their work has started speaking. It is true that sins do speak, now the results of their misdeeds are out and all are disturbed)," he said.

Two persons had been convicted in the coal scam and those involved in other scams like 2G would not be spared, he said. "I have only one mantra and that is if we want the welfare of people, we must ensure employment for youths, education for children and medicines for the elderly.

"Besides, my three agenda for the nation is --development, speedy development and all-round development", he said.

PTI