LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday blamed the previous regimes for patronizing the illegal slaughterhouses and letting the cow slaughter and cattle smuggling continue unchecked in the state.
“Cow smuggling has always been a major issue in Uttar Pradesh as ‘gau-taskari aur avaidh bucharkhane toh pichhli sarkaron ki pehchan thi’ (cattle smuggling and illegal slaughterhouses used to be the hallmarks of previous governments). When we came, all illegal slaughterhouses were closed to restrict cattle smuggling completely. We worked for cow protection,” said CM Yogi while addressing a public rally after inaugurating 50 projects worth Rs 1,118 crore and laying the foundation of over 146 projects worth Rs 211 crore in Baduan on Tuesday.
Continuing his tirade against the opposition, especially, the Samajwadi Party without taking the name, CM Yogi brought the issue of communal riots during festivals and law and order situations under previous regimes into his discourse. “There used to be frequent riots during the festivals. People were not free to celebrate their festivals as per their wishes as curfew used to be imposed before all festivals. But the state has not witnessed even a single riot during the last four and a half years,” he said.
He added that the situation had changed for good now. “Be it Diwali, Dhanteras, or Bhaiya Dooj, it is celebrated in every district in a peaceful manner and with gaiety. Before 2017, even though there was no pandemic, there used to be a curfew. ‘Aastha par kutharaghat hota tha (the faith used to be trampled)’. Moreover, if anyone used to raise voice against such elements, false cases were filed against him,” he added.
Yogi claimed that during the pandemic, the opposition leaders confined themselves to the safety of their homes. However, Yogi said, he along with the public representatives and Covid warriors were out to strengthen the system in the state. “They were limited to Twitter only. When they were busy on Twitter during the pandemic, they must get an answer on Twitter only in the upcoming elections,” CM Yogi said while taking a jibe on the opposition.
Yogi further said that while the erstwhile governments of Uttar Pradesh considered their families to be the state, for him, the state was his family. “Their only agenda was to buy a property, an island abroad,” he added.
“Earlier, if there were vacancies in the state, the whole family used to go out on the recovery. The family reminds us of Mahabharat- ‘koi chacha, koi bhatija, koi mama, koi babua’. Our government gave 4.5 lakh jobs and no one can raise a question on the recruitment process,” he asserted.
Discussing his government’s policy of zero-tolerance against crimes and criminals, the CM said UP had emerged as a riot-free, crime-free state. At the same time, UP has also set an example in taking action against the organised crime syndicates, mafia who grew under the protection of power earlier.
He announced that the extension of the free ration distribution scheme till Holi saying: “Under the free ration scheme, 35kg of food grains, 1kg of pulses, 1kg of cooking oil, 1kg of sugar, and 1kg of salt shall be given, depending on the number of family members."
He also highlighted the measure taken in favour of farmers during his government’s tenure. Later he proceeded to Shajahnapur to launch and lay the foundation stone of welfare schemes worth Rs 500 crore.