Bhubaneswar: As the Congress has failed to eradicate poverty during its five decades of rule, the country will actually become poverty-free when it will be Congress-free, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said. Claiming that the BJP-led NDA government has been able to take 7.5 crore people above the poverty line, Singh said those still living below it will be elevated in the coming five years.

"The Congress has ruled the country for five decades, but India still fights poverty. The garibi hatao call only remained a slogan as Congress governments failed to take any concrete step to eradicate poverty," the BJP stalwart said.