Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday slammed the practice of non-BJP-ruled States, including Puducherry, of not implementing the welfare programmes of the Centre to deny credit to the BJP-led Central government even at the cost of hurting the people.

Addressing a public meeting of the BJP Mahila Morcha to seek support for BJP candidates, Ms. Sitharaman said it was unfortunate that schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana that envisaged housing for all by 2022, the Stand-Up India scheme for small businesses and the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana had not been properly implemented in non-BJP-ruled States, like West Bengal and Puducherry.

She urged the voters to think about whether “they needed such narrow-minded leaders who would block Central welfare schemes from reaching the people only to deny credit to the Centre, and especially Mr. Modi”.

Hailing Puducherry for its tradition of choosing national parties while simultaneously revelling in its regional identity, Ms. Sitharaman contrasted the various schemes introduced for the welfare of all sections of society by the BJP government at the Centre against the Congress, “which solely served the interests of one family”.

She urged the electorate to follow its “stream of national consciousness” by voting for the BJP/NDA, which was focused on inclusive development, and spurning the Congress, which stood for the welfare of one family.

Unlike the previous Congress government, which had not fulfilled even a single promise from its 2016 manifesto, the NDA would be committed to fulfilling all its poll promises, Ms. Sitharaman said.

BJP candidates V. Saminathan, P.M.L. Kalyanasundaram and John Kumar took part in the event.