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Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: PM Modi refers to Rajiv Gandhi to target Congress on graft

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Varanasi, Jan 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the 15th Pravasi Bharat Divas in Varanasi. Reiterating the 'New India' pitch, Modi said the Indian diaspora was the "ambassador" for the country.

"Our motto is one world-one sun-one creed. Reform, perform and transform is our mantra," he further said, adding, the non resident Indians (NRIs) were the brand ambassadors of India.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas: PM Modi refers to Rajiv Gandhi to target Congress on graft

"I consider NRIs India's brand ambassadors. They are the symbols of our capacities and capabilities," he told the gathering.

Modi alluded to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's comment that only 15 paise of Re 1 reached the masses, and accused the past Congress governments of "doing nothing" to stop leakage.

"The previous government [the Congress party-led UPA government at the Centre did nothing to stop corruption. There was either no intention or no will to fight the widespread corruption. But when the NDA came to the centre, it ended the middleman culture. We ended the widespread corruption," PM Modi said.

Modi furthered the verbal attack on the Congress party and said the government did not bring any solutions to any problem and encouraged loot in the government-aided departments.

"Congress did not stop leaks in the country. All they did was for their own benefit," he added.

Modi said that at least seven crore "fake" people had been cut from government schemes. "In the last four and a half years, our government has removed seven crore fake people from lists of schemes. These people never existed, but there were documents. Government schemes were being used through these documents," he said.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated once in two years. It is organised to strengthen the engagement of the overseas Indian community with the government, reconnect them with their roots and celebrate their achievements and contributions.

The 15th edition of the PBD began on Monday with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurating the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. Speaking on the occasion, Swaraj lauded the role of Indian diaspora in changing the world's perception about India.

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