'Some people in Delhi offer me lessons in democracy,' says PM Modi in jibe at Congress

In a dig at the Congress party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that some people in Delhi are being hypocrites in their attempt to try to inculcate democratic ethics in him.

The Prime Minister added that those criticising his methods as undemocratic are yet to conduct local panchayat elections in Puducherry, a Union Territory (UT) where the Congress is in power.

"Some people in Delhi offer me lessons in democracy day in and day out, and use 'abuses' for me, but they have not carried out panchayat polls in Puducherry despite a Supreme Court order," said the PM.

Boasting about the recently concluded DDC elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Modi's remarks came days after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that the Centre will brand anyone a terrorist, be it RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, if they stood up against the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister was initiating the Ayushman Bharat scheme for all residents of Jammu and Kashmir.

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The scheme is to ensure universal health coverage to all individuals and communities of the state, while also focusing on providing financial risk protection and ensuring quality and affordable essential health service, said the Prime Minister's Office. The PMO also informed that the scheme will provide free-of-cost insurance cover to all residents, extending financial cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family on a floater basis. There is also the provision for an operational extension of the 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana' (PM-JAY). This will be catered to about 15 lakh additional families, with the scheme operating on insurance mode in convergence with PM-JAY, added the PMO.

During his address, Modi remarked that previous administrations in the state had ignored the development of the border regions for decades, while the completion of the "transparent" DDC elections conducted by his government in the state is a moment of pride for the entire country. He also hailed the Indian government for undertaking all-round development of Jammu and Kashmir.

The said elections mark the first electoral exercise in the state since Article 370 was abrogated in August 2019, which divided the state into two UTs. About the DDC results, PM Modi mentioned that they are a reflection of the work done by the elected, and their victory is not owing to their name and lineage.

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