Previous govt would have taken '25 more years' to do the work we have done so far: PM Modi in Surat

Taking a dig at the Congress party in a public gathering at Surat on Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi said that if the previous governments had to do the work that he has done so far, they would have needed "25 more years".

He also credited his government's demonetisation decision for bringing down prices of houses and making them affordable for the aspiring youth.

"I was asked what has been the benefit of note ban decision. You should ask it to the youth, who could buy residential homes at affordable rates after the decision. Black money used to be parked in real estate sector, but with decisions like note ban and RERA, we put a check to it," Modi said.

He also lauded the Civil Aviation Ministry's 'Udaan' (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme - a regional connectivity scheme that makes flying affordable for masses, saying it will boost development of the country's aviation sector.

Targetting the Congress party he said, "In four years of our rule, we constructed 1.30 crore houses while in UPA rule they built 25 lakh houses.

He also stated that for the last 30 years, the country had a "hung Parliament" due to which progress was affected. "But four years ago, people voted to give full majority after which the country is progressing rapidly," he said.

Citing the former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, PM Modi also blamed the Congress for leaking the fund sent for public welfare.

The prime minister was addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for extension of the new terminal at Surat airport in Gujarat.

(With inputs from agencies)