LUCKNOW: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday accused the Samajwadi Party and the BSP of crumbling the economy of Uttar Pradesh and credited Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with bringing a turnaround in five years in the state.
He also said the 2022 elections are for “strengthening Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hands and for making Adityanath chief minister again”.
“SP and BSP’s ‘babua and bua’ both had crumbled the economy of such a big state as Uttar Pradesh, the economic system was on the seventh spot in the country which was brought to second spot by Yogiji in five years. Give another chance of five years and it will be taken to the first spot,” Shah told an election meeting here.
Claiming success on the law and order front under the Adityanath government, he asked, “Can any mafia trouble you anywhere, can anyone encroach your land, play with the honour of mothers and sisters? Yogiji has ensured the migration of mafia from UP.”
He said earlier police used to flee on seeing members of the mafia.
"Now the mafias run after seeing the police. Where are Azam Khan, Atiq Ahmad and Mukhtar Ansari? They all are in jail. If Akhilesh Yadav comes to power, they will get bail and if there is Yogi's government they will remain in jail," he said.
Shah was in Mainpuri to muster support for BJP candidates Jaiveer Singh (Mainpuri Sadar), Ram Naresh Agnihotri (Bhongaon) Union Law Minister S P Singh Baghel (Karhal) and Priyaranjan Diwakar (Kishni).
Akhilesh Yadav is contesting his maiden assembly election from the Karhal seat here.
Polling is in the third phase on February 20.
Shah targeted the former chief minister over his apparent reluctance to accept the Çovid vaccine.
"When Modi ji brought the Covid vaccine, Akhilesh termed it the Modi vaccine and asked people not to take it. But after speaking against it for some time he himself took it out of fear. Had Modi not given vaccines to 130 crore people, would we have been as safe during the third wave?" He alleged that corruption was deeply rooted during the SP term in UP.
"The desired development of the state was limited only to the family members of the Saifai parivar," Shah added, referring to Akhilesh Yadav's home town.
He claimed it was brought up to the second spot by Adityanath in five years.
"Give another chance of five years and it will be taken to the first spot," he said.
Claiming success on the law and order front under the Adityanath government, he asked, "Can any mafia trouble you anywhere, can anyone encroach your land, play with the honour of mothers and sisters? Yogi ji has ensured the migration of the mafia from Uttar Pradesh."
He claimed that the Adityanath government had brought cases of dacoity in the state down by 72 per cent during the five-year term, robbery by 62 per cent, murder by 31 per cent and rape by 50 per cent.
Praising Modi, Shah said he has ensured the country's security.
"When the SP-BSP supported the Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh government, there was intrusion from Pakistan and our soldiers were beheaded but there was no reaction from our 'Mauni Baba'. But Modi avenged such misadventures after coming to power, sending a strong message to the world," he said.
He also recalled the abrogation of Article 370 that ensured special status to Jammu and Kashmir, saying Akhilesh Yadav had said this would lead to bloodbath.
He claimed that the SP and the BSP have been wiped out in the first two phases of polling in the state so far and the BJP is fast approaching the 300-seat mark in Uttar Pradesh.
"The BJP is all set to form its government with a massive majority," he said.
Shah referred to the Ujjwala scheme which provides free cooking gas connections to the poor.
"Bua-bhatija ran their governments for 15 years but did any home get gas cylinders? Whereas 1.66 lakh mothers have got cylinders and stoves and we have decided to provide one free cylinder on Holi and Diwali," he said.
"It's Holi on March 20 and the counting is on March 10. Allow BJP to form the government and one gas cylinder will reach you (on Holi)," he added.
(With PTI Inputs)