UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (File photo)In a veiled attack on Samajwadi Party (SP) in Rampur on Sunday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said ‘Rampuri chaaku’ that was earlier “used for exploitation and fulfilling self-interests” is now being used for the security of the common people and to draw investment under his government.
“Earlier, the Rampuri chaaku (knife) had gone in the wrong hands and became a mean of exploitation and fulfillment of self-interest. But, when this knife came in good hands, BJP’s double-engine government used it to provide safety to citizens and traders and draw investment,” the CM said.
In the recent Lok Sabha bypolls, BJP won from Rampur by defeating SP’s Asim Raja, a close associate of Rampur MLA Azam Khan.
Before BJP’s win in the by-election, Rampur was considered to be an SP bastion.
The chief minister also launched 22 development projects worth Rs 72 crore on Sunday, and said the residents of Rampur have paved the way for a new era by voting for development, security and prosperity. “They have sent a clear message to those who had exploited the land of Rampur that has its own mythological and historical identity,” he said.
“In the past, those who did not have development or public welfare on their agenda exploited Rampur for their self-interest. They launched person-centric development projects as a medium to harass people, which halted development. Finally, they are facing the consequences,” the CM said without taking any names.
Targeting the previous SP government, the CM said, “They (previous governments) only made plans for their interests and converted educational institutions like Rajkiya Murtaza Inter College into the office of a particular party… They tried to convert a 200-year educational institute, Madarsa Alia, into a private school by forcibly grabbing rare handwritten books and manuscripts from its library without permission. But our government has returned these manuscripts to Madarsa Alia and conserved them.”
“In the last five-and-a-half years, we completed projects worth Rs 3,200 crore in Rampur and various programmes were launched to take the district to new heights. Similarly, incentives were provided to encourage investment,” he added.
Adityanath also said over the past eight months, 20 new industrial units have been established in Rampur with an investment of Rs 540 crore. “These units will provide direct employment to 600 persons while 4,500 persons have received indirect employment.” The CM also said that three industrial units have also been set up in Rampur that will provide employment to 1,200 persons.
The CM said the state government has also been encouraging handicrafts from Rampur like knives, caps, violins and zardozi by linking the industry with welfare programmes like the Vishwakarmna Shram Samman Yojana and the One District, One Product (ODOP) scheme.
Earlier during the day, the CM interacted with the industrialists of Moradabad district and asked them to take advantage of facilities like single-window platforms that the state government was providing to them. “UP has recorded an 80 per cent increase in exports after the ODOP scheme was launched,” Adityanath said while adding that the state has a 20,000-acre industrial land bank available for industries.
The CM interacted with industrialists and traders in Bijnor too and assured them that the issues raised by them in the meeting will be addressed soon.
He also inspected the progress of the under-construction Mahatma Vidur Government Medical College that is being built on a 20.71-acre land at a cost of Rs 281 crore.