Attacking Congress' 'gareebi hatao' slogan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said though intention of those who gave the slogan may have been good, the path they chose for delivering the promise was wrong.

Addressing a rally in the coastal Odisha town of Balasore on completion of two years of his government, he called for a 'balanced' development in the country.

HIGHLIGHTS OF MODI'S SPEECH

Prime Minister Modi said that people's "mindset about gender equality must change." "I feel the pain for those mothers who do not get proper support and help during giving birth, I want to provide best facilities for them," he added. The governments in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled western and central states of India were far more developed than their counterparts in the east, the PM said. "We don't want any state or any region in the country to be devoid of development and change," he said. Our government is committed to the welfare of the poor people who would be at the centre of all schemes. "We have for the last 60 years heard the slogan of 'gareebi hatao'. I do not doubt the intention of those who gave this slogan. The intention may have been good but the path they chose to eradicate poverty was certainly wrong because poverty, unemployment and disease grew." He said governments are not for the rich, but the poor and they should work towards fighting poverty. Till the time scientific solutions to the problems are found, poverty will not be eradicated, Modi said. "Governments are not for the rich but for the poor and should work for them. The poor should be at the centre of all government schemes," he said.

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