SAHARANPUR:: Taking a jibe at Samajwadi Party (SP) and lauding the work done by the Yogi Adityanath government, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said the "goons and mafia" of Uttar Pradesh are either in jail or have fled away or are in the candidates' list of the main opposition party for the upcoming assembly election.
Campaigning in Saharanpur for Uttar Pradesh elections beginning February 10, Amit Shah accused Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav of speaking "lies" about the law and order situation in the state.
He said the BJP government has chased away criminals and mafias who flourished during the earlier regimes.
"He does not have shame and speaks lies in such a manner that it could be taken as truth. I have brought statistics with me and if you have the courage, hold a press conference with figures of your earlier government," Amit Shah said.
"Mafia Raj is over in Uttar Pradesh today. People like Azam Khan and Mukhtar Asari are in jail. The goons and mafia of Uttar Pradesh are either in jail or either fled away... or they figure in the list of Samajwadi Party," he added.
The Home Minister also referred to riots that took place during the Samajwadi Party rule in the state.
"Have you forgotten the riots? If you make a mistake during vote, the rioters will come to power in Lucknow. If the SP-BSP government is formed, then once again mafia raj will come, casteism will come. But if you vote for BJP, we'll make UP number one," he said.
He alleged that Akhilesh Yadav and Jayant Chaudhary are together only till election results are announced.
"These days Akhilesh Yadaji and Jayant Chaudharyji are seen together. But this is only till the elections. If their government is formed by mistake, then Jayant Chaudharyji will not be seen anywhere again. Azam Khan and Atiq Ahmed will come in the forefront. Their candidates' list says what will happen after elections," said Shah.
He urged people to give their full support to BJP for the continuous and rapid development of the state.
"If the vote goes to SP, there will again be 'mafia raj' and if it goes to the BJP, it will help Uttar Pradesh become number one state in the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership," he added.
He urged the people of the state to trust, bless and encourage BJP and vote for party candidates. The BJP has fielded Jagpal Singh from Saharanpur.
"Today I have come here to appeal for our candidate Jagpal Singhji to win. This in itself is a unique thing in Uttar Pradesh that in a general seat, BJP has done the work of giving tickets to a candidate from the Dalit community. This tells us that in Uttar Pradesh, BJP has worked for realizing the 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas' mantra of Narendra Modiji," he said.
The Home Minister said that he cancelled his campaign in Deoband and Muzaffarnagar today due to a huge crowd that had gathered amid COVID-19.
Uttar Pradesh will go for a seven-phase election from February 10.