PM Modi calls poor people his friends, says he provided them with free COVID-19 vaccination

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Brigade rally in
Kolkata on Sunday, said that he has worked for poor people by arranging
COVID-19 vaccinations for them in government hospitals, while at the same time
taking shots at the opposition for their remarks that he worked for his ‘friends’.

Saying that the ‘khela’ (game) is over the incumbent Trinamool
Congress-led government in West Bengal, the Prime Minister further urged people
to vote for BJP fearlessly in the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

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“My opponents say that I work for my friends. Who we
grow up with are our best friends. I grew up in poverty hence I understand the
plight of poor people living in every corner of India. I work for my friends
and will continue to do so,” Modi was quoted by ANI as saying.

Reportedly, highlighting his achievements during the
coronavirus-stricken times, Modi said that when COVID-19 started, he gave free
ration, free gas cylinders and deposited huge sums of money to the bank accounts
of those who needed it.

He further noted that despite the corona vaccine being “…so
expensive around the world”, he made the arrangement for his “friends to
vaccinate at the government hospital for free,” as quoted by ANI.

Also read: India’s vaccine rollout has ‘rescued the world’ from the COVID-19 pandemic, says US scientist

Taking shots at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Modi said that
a ‘corruption Olympics’ could be organised based on the number of scams she had
participated in, adding she was not the same person who raised her voice
against the Left Front government.