Addressing the ground-breaking ceremony of the NHEC multi-state cooperative society in Pune, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a fierce political attack on the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. He accused Rahul Gandhi and leftist propagandists of using the recently held Bharat Summit 2026 in Hyderabad as a platform to project the nation in a negative light and defame India on international soil.
Accusations of Frustration and Past Scams Against Congress
Amit Shah stated that the Congress party is merely venting the frustration of its electoral defeats through such gatherings. He claimed that left-leaning ideologues from across the country were invited to the event where anti-India sentiments were openly expressed. Highlighting the tenure of the previous administration, he remarked that those who presided over scams worth 12 lakh crore rupees during their ten-year rule are in no position to question the current administration. In stark contrast, he emphasized that during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 12 years in office, not a single penny of corruption has been attributed to the Prime Minister. He urged citizens to question Congress leaders about their past misdeeds whenever they cross paths with them.
Revival of the Cooperative Movement and New Ministry
Describing Maharashtra as the true source and genesis of the cooperative movement, the Home Minister noted that this sacred land pioneered the concepts of self-governance and cooperative action. Visionaries like Padmashri Vitthalrao Patil and Vaikunth Bhai Mehta laid the foundation of cooperatives well before independence. He criticized past governments for ignoring the persistent demands of farmers, rural women, and dairy workers for decades, until Prime Minister Narendra Modi established a dedicated Ministry of Cooperation 70 years after independence, bringing fresh vitality to the rural economy.
Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, district-level institutions, and dairies are growing stronger by the day. The land on which the current event took place once housed a massive sugar mill set up by ancestors, which gradually shut down during the Congress regime. The reconstruction of that very facility on the same ground is a matter of immense joy.
Honoring Tribal Heritage and Birsa Munda
During his address, Amit Shah paid rich tributes to Bhagwan Birsa Munda on the occasion of his 151st birth anniversary. He recalled how Birsa Munda raised the banner of revolt against British rule in Jharkhand long before the formal independence movement. He noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi decided to observe Birsa Munda's birth anniversary as Tribal Pride Day, with the Prime Minister himself attending a commemorative event in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra.
Launch of Bharat Taxi and Regional Cooperation Office
Marking several developmental milestones in Pune, Amit Shah announced the opening of the western office of the CRCS and the inauguration of Cooperative Bharat Taxi, which will soon operate nationwide. He pointed out that while various cab aggregators exploited drivers for years, the cooperative-backed Bharat Taxi was conceptualized to safeguard their interests. He also addressed the fate of the NHEC land spanning 110 acres, which had fallen into legal disputes and illegal encroachments during the Congress era, noting that the Ministry of Cooperation has now revived it through a formal groundbreaking ceremony.
The upcoming industrial complex on this site will house not just a sugar mill, but also a power plant, an ethanol unit, a CBG plant, comprehensive dairy processing units, and a manufacturing unit for export containers. Every single penny earned from these ventures will directly benefit cooperative institutions.
