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Patna, June 23 (IANS) Union Minister Prahlad Joshi on Monday criticised Bihar Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav for his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him "baseless" and "irresponsible."

Joshi was speaking to the media after inaugurating a steel grain silo in Pasraha, Gogri block of Khagaria district.

The facility, with a storage capacity of 50,000 metric tonnes, aims to strengthen food security infrastructure in the region.

The inauguration event was also attended by Bihar Minister Lesy Singh and local MP Rajesh Kumar.

Responding to Tejashwi Yadav’s recent jibe in which he had labelled PM Modi as a “liar”, “pickpocket”, and “big artist”, Joshi said: “How can someone who has lying embedded in his DNA accuse the Prime Minister of lying? It is the Modi government that has actually delivered on the promises made to the poor.”

He further asserted that poverty in India has significantly reduced under PM Modi’s leadership, citing World Bank data.

“From the Nehru era to Rahul Gandhi, Congress only gave slogans like 'Garibi Hatao'. But under PM Modi, the percentage of people living below the poverty line has dropped from 25 per cent to 5 per cent,” he said.

Tejashwi Yadav had also criticised the Prime Minister’s recent rally in Siwan, alleging misuse of public funds.

“PM Modi has conducted more than 200 rallies in Bihar since 2014, each costing around Rs 100 crore. It’s all coming from taxpayers’ money,” Tejashwi claimed in his earlier remarks.

“We do not want a pickpocket Prime Minister. The Prime Minister gives speeches written on a teleprompter. He has no real understanding of Bihar’s ground situation,” Yadav earlier said on June 20.

Joshi rejected this allegation, emphasising that public outreach is part of democratic accountability and that such claims were politically motivated.

--IANS

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