Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said his government has taken steps to set up a chowkidar (watchman) in space. The prime minister, who addressed a rally in Jeypore area of Odisha’s Koraput district, was referring to India launching an anti-satellite missile on March 27.

Modi claimed Opposition parties have belittled the achievements of Indian scientists in launching the anti-satellite missile, the Hindustan Times reported. “From the land of Odisha, I congratulate the scientists of India once again, the chowkidars of our country,” Modi said. He asked people to appreciate the scientists and the Indian Army, claiming that the Opposition is trying to humiliate them.

“India is now capable of setting up chowkidar in space too,” Modi said. “When our conscience is clean, we can succeed even in space. This is the power of New India’s new belief in itself. The whole country is proud of this.”

The prime minister urged the people of India to vote for a government that can take concrete decisions, not the one that “only raises slogans”, PTI reported.

The prime minister also claimed that the Congress and the Biju Janata Dal failed to develop Odisha, the Bharatiya Janata Party tweeted. “This is the right time to punish the Congress and BJD who were given ample time in Odisha to develop the region,” he said. “However, they have failed miserably.”

“Can those who are involved in a chit fund scam make Odisha strong?” Modi asked. “Can those who are working with mining mafia and deprived tribals of their rights and resources make Odisha strong?” He said the fact that the state is rich in resources, but its people are poor, is proof that the Congress and Biju Janata Dal regimes have been failures.

“In India, 1.5 lakh wellness centres are being built, mothers and infants are being vaccinated,” Modi said. “However, the people of Odisha are not able to make the most of them.” He said that the Naveen Patnaik government had rejected the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat scheme, and thus deprived poor people of the right to quality healthcare.

The prime minister also alleged that the Odisha government has not provided the Centre with a list of farmers eligible for the PM Kisan Yojana. The scheme aims to give farmers with land up to two hectares Rs 6,000 per year in their bank accounts in three equal installments.