No electricity on Holi, Diwali but always on Eid, Muharram in SP govt: Yogi

Attacking the Samajwadi Party, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Thursday claimed that the Akhilesh Yadav government did not provide electricity to people on Holi and Diwali, but there was always power on Eid and Muharram.

"But with us (in power), there is no discrimination," he told an election rally.

He asked people if they wanted a "mazboor" (helpless) government like the previous one led by Yadav or a "mazboot" (strong) government helmed by the BJP. "A government that is 'dangawadi' or a government that made the state 'dangamukt'."

Addressing an election meeting at Ramnagar in Barabanki, he said, "It is up to you to decide what kind of a government you want a government that creates fear or one that eliminates fear. Whether you want a government that exploits the poor or a government that connects the poor with the schemes of the government."

Only the BJP government works for every section of society be it the poor, women, youth, traders, villagers or farmers, he added.

Riots, curfews, and exodus of locals were common occurrences before the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh, he said, targeting the Samajwadi Party.

"The previous government played with the faith of people and crushed their religious sentiments. Earlier, Kanwar Yatras were stopped and Durga idol immersion was not allowed. Now there is kanwar yatra amid chants of 'Har Har Bam Bam'. No one can dare to stop a Kanwar yatra. That gives you the picture of new Uttar Pradesh," Adityanath said.

He said the double engine BJP governments in the state and at the Centre are distributing free ration to the poor which was "not possible" during the SP and BSP governments.

"Had the SP been there, their henchmen would have sold the ration. Before 2017, the goons of SP used to gulp the ration of the poor. The stomach of BSP's elephant (he party's poll symbol) is so big that it could eat the ration of the entire state," he said.

"In the next five years, the BJP will work to connect one member of every family with a job, employment, or self-employment scheme," he added.

Addressing another meeting in Bahraich, the CM remarked that the earlier the money for development used to go to the 'itra wala mitra' of Samajwadi Party.

During their political rallies, both the BJP and SP have been trading charges over income tax raids on perfume traders.

"There were potholes on the roads, medical colleges were not built. There was no development. If we form the government again, we will work on providing free electricity supply to the annadatas' (farmers)," the chief minister said.

He also said that a bulldozer works for both development and mafias. "We have made such a machine which makes roads as well as highways and also digs out illegal money from the wall.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)