Launching the BJP campaign for the Urban Body polls on Monday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the law and order scenario had improved, and riots or curfew were a thing of the past with the State transforming into a symbol of prosperity, safety and employment.
“Criminals and anti-aocial elements have become a thing of the past and U.P. evolved into a symbol of safety, prosperity and employment. No curfew, no danga, UP mein sab changa (Curfews and riots are no longer happening in U.P.; everything is fine),” said Mr. Adityanath, while addressing a public meeting at Maharaj Singh Degree College in Saharanpur. “ Rangdari na Firauti, Ab U.P. nahi hai kisi ki bapauti” (No extortions, or kidnappings for ransom take place and U.P. is no longer anyone’s legacy,” he added.
Mr. Adityanath claimed that the State government took the welfare schemes to the people without any discrimination and with everyone’s support, faith and effort. “Uttar Pradesh eliminated the presence of criminals and the State has no place for even those who sympathised with dreaded criminals who were a threat to society,” he said.
He said the election was between casteist political forces which ruled the State prior to 2017 and a government that had prioritised the needs of the underprivileged. “Ever since the double-engine government was formed in U.P., benefits of all government welfare schemes have reached every needy without any kind of discrimination,” he said.
In a related development for Urban Body polls, the saffron party released a campaign song, “ Gunde pukarte hai Akhilesh aaiye,” (‘Criminals calling, Akhilesh please come back’), in which the BJP attacked the Samajwadi Party (SP) and its president Akhilesh Yadav for shielding criminal elements. The song adds, “ Apradhiyon ko neta banaya tumhi ne tha. Atiq aur Mukhtar ka uddhar tumhi se tha (‘you transformed criminals into politicians, supported Atiq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari’)”. The saffron party in the song also accused the SP of shattering the dream of socialist icon Jayaprakash Narayan and tarnishing the image of U.P.
