Calling himself an “adopted son” of Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Thursday that the future of the State could not be ensured without ridding it of the Samajwadi Party (SP), the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress.
Mr. Modi, who represents the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency, invoked Lord Krishna at an election meeting here to suggest a strong connect between Gujarat and U.P.
“Lord Krishna was born in U.P. and made Gujarat his karmbhoomi (land of work). I was born in Gujarat and U.P. has adopted me ... Uttar Pradesh is my mai baap . I am not the son who would betray his mai baap . You have adopted me and it is my duty to work for you,” he said in an emotional speech at a poll rally here.
“Vote for a full majority to the BJP government. I promise to show you the ways out of all the problems you are facing within five years,” he said, telling the impressive crowd that all pollsters have predicted the BJP would get massive support in the first two phases of polling.
Poverty in plenty
Highlighting the problems faced by the State and its national importance, Mr. Modi said poverty would be removed from the country only when it was eradicated from U.P. “This is the land of the Ganga and the Yamuna, where the land is most fertile, with crores of labourers, but poverty still exists here ... why is this so? There is nothing wrong with the people here or their capabilities, nor a shortage of resources,” he said.
“It is the problem of the government’s lack of intention. The SP, the BSP and the Congress have not thought about how the State should be developed ... all those who had been at the helm have only worked to safeguard their vote bank, help them in whichever way possible ... the future of U.P. cannot be changed till it is freed of the SP, the BSP and the Congress,” he said.
Continuing his attack on Akhilesh Yadav’s kaam bolta hai (work speaks) slogan, the Prime Minister spoke about some Central schemes, which he said had not been implemented in Uttar Pradesh by the SP government.
“The Centre brought a scheme for providing free power connections to 1.25 lakh poor families but funds are lying here and U.P. has extended it to only 13,000 households ... will it harm Akhilesh if the poor families get it? ... Who is responsible? ... Is this how your work is speaking?. Those who have run their government in this way do not have the right to survive [in power] for even a minute more,” the Prime Minister said.
Mr. Modi said only 14% farmers got the benefit of the Crop Insurance Scheme for farmers in U.P. “because Akhilesh does not feel it is any work ... jinka kaam bolta hai , unka kisan nahi bolta ki bima mila hai [‘the farmers of those whose work speaks do not say they got insurance’],” he said.
Noting that the highest number of political killings and gang rapes take place in U.P., Mr. Modi said, “I want to ask the family-led government, are the mothers and sisters here not members of your family?”
He said 3,000 people had died when illegal arms called kattas were fired and demanded to know who made them. “Almost 50% of cases registered in the country under the Arms Act are in U.P.,” he rued.
Listing achievements
“Over 20% atrocities against Dalits in India take place in U.P. and no one gets punished...Isn’t illegal mining prevalent in Hardoi?...Who patronises illegal miners,” he asked.
Mr. Modi said no journalist could write against illegal mining. “If somebody dares, he gets killed. We must fight against this condition created by the Akhilesh government,” he said.
Mr. Modi listed several achievements by his government, and said the prices of fertilizers had come down for the first time since the Chaudhary Charan Singh government lowered them.
