 Agencies
PRAYAGRAJ, Nov 16: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took a jibe at the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Saturday, accusing it of not having any relationship with development.
He also accused the opposition party of the strengthening the "mafia raj" in Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing a rally at Sahso in the Phulpur Assembly segment in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) bypoll candidate Deepak Patel, Adityanath said, "The SP has no relationship with development. Its only principle is 'sabka sath', development of the Saifai family. It cannot think beyond this."
He accused the SP of opposing the Ram temple and Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya, Dev Deepavali in Varanasi, transparency in examinations, development projects and even welfare schemes meant for the poor.
"It only believes in the politics of division," the senior BJP leader said.
"We had to wait for 500 years (for the Ram temple to be built) in Ayodhya because we were divided. We had to face humiliation in Kashi and Mathura because we were divided. When we were divided, we were cut off. The biggest challenge in India today is the people who divide us in the name of caste," he said.
Pointing towards Jaya Pal, the wife of Umesh Pal, and Puja Pal, the wife of former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal, Adityanath said when atrocities were committed against them, no one was there to raise questions.
The two women were present on the dais along with the chief minister.
At the time of Krishnanand Rai's killing, Ramesh Yadav and Ramesh Patel were also with him, Adityanath said, adding that seven people were brutally killed.
Raju Pal was killed in broad daylight in Prayagraj in January 2005 and the main witness in the case, Umesh Pal, was also shot dead in February 2023. The main accused in both these killings was former SP leader Atiq Ahmed, who has since been killed.
"The dreaded mafia associated with the SP used to kill people and capture properties. They used to abduct businessmen, disrupt the safety of daughters, capture religious places and create unrest by interrupting festivals. Today, I can say that there is neither any curfew nor riots in Uttar Pradesh. Everything is fine in Uttar Pradesh.
"We had said on the very first day that we will make Uttar Pradesh free from riots, we will deal strictly with the cheating mafia, mining mafia, cattle mafia etc. The SP feels hurt whenever action is taken against them. All the dreaded mafia dons are the necklace of the SP. Their (gangsters') livelihood depends on them (SP)," Adityanath said. |
