BELAGAVI (KARNATAKA) -- For the second time this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that he has become an "eyesore" for those affected by his crusade to end black-marketing and corruption, asserting this campaign has turned them against him.
A day ago, one of the opposition parties, the Trinamool Congress, had taken a dig at the prime minister, saying he was suffering from silence syndrome" that had hit his predecessor Manmohan Singh, and that he was facing the problem of "two power centres", one of them being in Nagpur (referring to the RSS headquarters).
With his government under attack on diverse subjects, Modi also said the opposition spoke of many issues, but there was not an allegation of corruption against his government ever since he became the prime minister.
Stating that the government has stopped black-marketing and corruption in the fertiliser sector, he asked farmers to use only neem coated urea and also take the new crop insurance income to boost their income.
He also announced that all farmers would get soil health cards by 2017.
Addressing a farmers rally here as part of BJP's nationwide outreach to farmers, Modi said earlier there used to be blackmarketing of urea and farmers had to face lathi-charge to get urea but now the situation has improved as the government has focused on raising the output and checking the diversion of urea.
Modi said he has not received any letters from the States this year demanding the fertiliser.
"We have taken a big step to put an end to corruption and blackmarketing of urea. This is the reason why some of these people keep shouting against me. They will obviously be angry with Modi as blackmarketing has been checked," he said.
"Modi is an eyesore for them as the corruption that they have been engaging for last 60 years has come to a halt," he said, adding, "they ate things for free (mufat ki malai khayi hui hai) and that has been closed now, this is the reason."
Slamming critical NGOs and black-marketeers, Modi had on Sunday accused them of conspiring to destabilise his government and "defame" him and asserted that he will carry on with his work without bowing to any machinations.
Modi reminded farmers of his promise before the (Lok Sabha) elections that till he was here, no one would be able to lay their hands on Delhi's treasury.
"Today we have been able to stop malpractices in fertilisers and have brought in neem coated urea," he said.
Modi also said if there was a ray of hope in the world economy, it was India, as he asserted that his government was committed to transform the lives of the poor and villages.
"Today it is agreed that if there is a ray of hope in the world economy, it is India," Modi said.
He cited ratings by various agencies and international institutions such as World Bank and IMF to buttress his point on India offering a "ray of hope".
Modi said whether it was World Bank or IMF or world's rating agency, all of them were saying in one voice that if there is any country "where there is a ray of hope, that ray of hope is India".
"In the whole world, the economy is wavering. Even those countries who say they are experts are also going through economic problems," he said.
In spite of disturbing environment of slowdown, India is making rapid strides in growth, he added.