Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday, while addressing an election rally, alleged that Opposition parties — the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress-led State governments — practised politics of riots and appeasement, and protected mafia-like elements. Mr. Adityanath called them major obstacles to development.
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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mr. Adityanath said, was about development-oriented politics with security, which was taking U.P. on the path of progress. “The BJP stands for faith, security, and prosperity. Under the governance of the SP, the BSP, and the Congress, the State frequently witnessed curfews lasting for months. But now there are no curfews in the State. These parties were known for stirring unrest through riots. They adopted a ‘riot policy’, while the BJP prioritises development policy, with security taking U.P. to the path of progress,” Mr. Adityanath said in Bulandshahr.
The U.P. CM spoke of the deteriorating economic conditions in Pakistan. He said that India had been providing free ration to 80 crore people for the past four years and would continue to do so for the next five years. “India and Pakistan attained freedom together in 1947. Today, Pakistan, with a population of 22 crore, inherited fertile land, despite that people are suffering from hunger while in India, over the past decade, a greater number of individuals have risen above the poverty line than Pakistan’s entire population,” Mr. Adityanath said in Meerut, seeking votes for the BJP’s candidate, Arun Govil.
Mr. Adityanath said that when Mr. Govil played the role of Lord Ram in the Ramayan TV serial, he did not know that one day Lord Shri Ram would celebrate his birthday in his birthplace. “Would a grand temple of Lord Shri Ram have been built in Ayodhya under a Congress, SP or BSP regime?” he asked. He said Mr. Govil’s candidacy in Meerut coincided with Lord Ram’s return to his birthplace.
The U.P. CM highlighted the positive transformation in India under the Narendra Modi-led BJP. “We are living in a new India. People remember the situation before the 2014 — how Naxalism, terrorism and separatist tendencies were on the rise. You should inform the new generation and first-time voters about the prevailing discontent and mistrust during that period,” Mr. Adityanath said.