: BJP president Amit Shah cancelled his padayatra in Meerut on Friday as a mark of protest against the murder of a trader here on Thursday, and said Uttar Pradesh was turning into the crime capital of the country. The BJP would make law and order a poll issue, he said.
Meerut is going to the polls on February 11.
Taking a dig at the SP-Congress alliance, he said both “princes” will “destroy” the State, referring to SP president and U.P. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. “The morale of criminals is so high that even police personnel are not safe, let alone the common man. People are living in terror and fear of criminals. That is why it would be a priority of the BJP government to restore law and order in the State, which has been turned into the crime capital of the country by the Samajwadi Party government. And now both the shehzadey (princes) will destroy the State,” Mr. Shah said.
He also promised that the BJP government would form “anti-Romeo squads to save our daughters and sisters”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the first of his election rallies in U.P. on Saturday.
