India has become a powerful nation under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is being welcomed by top world leaders, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Thursday.

He was addressing an event here to highlight achievements of nine years of Modi rule. It was supposed to be addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah but he had to skip it since his helicopter could not land here due to inclement weather.

"Under Modiji's leadership, India is becoming a powerful nation. During Congress rule even smaller countries used to express hostility. But now the situation has changed as top world leaders are welcoming the prime minister," he said. "A new India has emerged. Pakistan is afraid of us and China too is avoiding to engage in a staredown," Chouhan added.

Under Modi's leadership, the country had tackled the COVID-19 pandemic and carried out a massive vaccination drive. It had also evacuated students amid the Russia-Ukraine war, he added.

Chouhan said the MP government had constructed roads, provided electricity and water as well as as enhanced the state's irrigation potential. Numerous welfare schemes had been started in the state for women, farmers and students, the CM added.

Addressing the meeting, MP BJP chief Vishnu Dutt Sharma accused former Congress chief ministers Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath of indulging in corruption during their tenures, leading to people struggling for power, roads and water.

Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi had said only 15 paise (rpt 15 paise) out of every rupee allotted for developmental work was reaching the masses, but thanks to Jan Dhan accounts and other moves of the Modi government, every rupee was now getting credited to the end beneficiary, Sharma asserted.

While Jan Dhan accounts were being opened, the Congress tried to raise various fears among the people but the scheme was writing a new script of development, Sharma said.

Later, Chouhan, Sharma and state home minister Narottam Mishra flagged off five 'Veerangana Rani Durgavati Gaurav Yatras' in the memory of 16th century Gondwana ruler Queen Durgavati. These yatras will culminate at Shahdol in an event on June 27 that is going to be attended by the prime minister.