By PTI
LAKHIMPUR KHERI: Campaigning in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday highlighted waiving of farmers loans and accused the Samajwadi Party of being sympathetic towards terrorists.
He alleged that “abba jaan” (father) of one of the convicts in the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blast case has links with the SP.
The chief minister addressed back-to-back five rallies in Lakhimpur Kheri, where eight Assembly seats will go to polls in the fourth phase on February 23.
Lakhimpur Kheri from where the BJP had won all eight seats in the 2017 is being considered tough for the party in the backdrop of the last year’s incident when four farmers were crushed under the wheels of cars.
Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish was arrested in the case.
He got bail last week.
Adityanath did not talk about the incident during his rallies.
He, however, underscored loans of farmers being waived by the BJP government.
He said a large number of farmers benefitted from the PM Kisan Samman Yojna.
Starting his outing in Lakhimpur Kheri from Nighsan, the Assembly constituency having native place of Ajay Mishra, Adityanath said the BJP government in the state has written off loans of 86 lakh farmers, amounting to Rs 36,000 crore.
A total of 1.45 lakh farmers were benefited in Lakhimpur alone, he said.
In another rally in Gola constituency, he said five lakh farmers of Lakhimpur Kheri received Rs 12,000 annually under PM Kisan Samman Yojna.
Referring to the Ahmedabad blasts, the case in which 38 people were given death penalty on Friday, Adityanath said one of the convicts belonged to Azamgarh’s Sanjarpur area.
The father of one of the terrorists has links with the Samajwadi Party and he has been campaigning for the SP, the chief minister alleged.
“Why does the SP has sympathy towards these terrorists? Will the people support those who play with the security of the nation,” the chief minister, urging people to vote for the BJP for a riot-free state.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Union minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday had released a photograph purportedly showing the father of one of the convicts standing with SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Thakur had alleged that the party has “connections” with the Ahmedabad blasts perpetrators.
During the Samajwadi Party government, only Saifai (Akhilesh Yadav’s native place) Mahotsav was being held, said Adityanath.
“The BJP government organised Deepotsav in Ayodhya, Rangotsav in Mathura and Dev Deepawali in Kashi. And our faith is linked to these,” he said.
Adityanath alleged that Akhilesh Yadav indulged in false propaganda on COVID vaccine and said the BJP MPs, MLAs and party workers helped people during the pandemic.
In almost all rallies, Adityanath claimed that during the SP rule, while uninterrupted electricity was provided during Eid and Muharram, the same was not available on Holi and Diwali.
“Earlier, curfew used to be promulgated for months during Hindu festivals and criminals used to explode bombs in the market to scare people. Now, there is no ‘bomb bazzi’, rather there has been echoes of ‘Bum Bum Bhole’ (Lord Shiva chant),” he said.
He said during the SP rule only boundary walls of graveyards were constructed.
“If that is so, go and seek vote from those there in kabristans,” he wryly said.
Hitting back, Akhilesh termed the BJP’s allegation that his party has links with the father of an Ahmedabad terror strike case convict as part of a “strategy” in the state assembly polls.
Yadav made the claim while talking to reporters in his village Saifai in Etawah district.
Asked about the BJP allegation that the convict’s father belonging to Azamgarh is an SP leader, Yadav said, “Strict action should be initiated against a terrorist. And if the BJP is levelling the allegation during the elections, the BJP is moving with a strategy.”
Yadav’s reaction came a day after the BJP on Saturday dubbed Samajwadi Party as “friends of minority appeasement” and alleged that it has links with terrorists involved in the 2008 Ahmedabad blasts.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Union minister Anurag Thakur released a photograph in which a man, alleged to be the father of one of the convicts in the Ahmedabad serial blasts case, is seen standing with Akhilesh Yadav.
Addressing an election rally in Lakhimpur Kheri, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath too on Sunday accused the SP of being sympathetic towards terrorists, alleging that the father of one of the convicts has links with the party.
A special court on Friday sentenced to death 38 members of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen in the Ahmedabad serial blasts which killed 56 people and injured over 200.
It also gave life terms to the other 11 IM operatives in the case.
Former Lok Sabha MP from Kannauj and Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav, meanwhile, described her party’s pre-poll alliance with Rashtriya Lok Dal and some other political outfits as a “bouquet” with every constituent doing its job.
Dimple Yadav too was speaking to reporters in her village Saifai after casting her vote.
“We have prepared a bouquet (‘guldasta’) of different colours and everyone is doing their job,” she said when asked about her party’s pre-poll alliance.
She also said the election results, which will be declared on March 10, will be “very positive” for the SP.
In his talks with reporters, Akhilesh Yadav also dubbed the BJP as a party of “liars”, claiming that it tried to show UP’s development through photographs of China and the USA “Who used the photos of China? Who used the factories of the US to show development? No party can be a bigger liar than the BJP,” he said.
He asserted after the counting of votes on March 10, the Samajwadi Party will form the government and referring to Chief Minister Adityanath as ‘Baba Mukhya Mantri’, said he “would be given a farewell”.
On allegations of “dynastic” politics being followed by the Samajwadi Party, Yadav asserted, “Those who do not have a family, how can they understand the pain of the family people? Only a family man can understand the problem of inflation and its impact and understand his responsibility towards his family.”
The BJP government has stalled the development of Uttar Pradesh and it will be removed from power like the Central farm laws were repealed, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said on Sunday.
“I want to say that ‘kaka’ has gone and Baba will also go like it. Kaka means ‘Kale Kanoon’ (black farm laws) which have been withdrawn by the government,” he told an election rally here, apparently referring to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath when he said “Baba”.
“Baba chief minister says that I get up at 12 at night. I am his neighbour and I also see smoke coming out from his residence from time to time. He is working 24 hours a day that is why youngsters are not getting jobs in UP,” he said.
Claiming that his party has already won majority in Uttar Pradesh polls, Yadav said BJP leaders have lost all hopes after the first two phases of polling.
“By the last phase, one will only find bhoot (ghosts) dancing at BJP booths. People will reduce the BJP to zero in the fourth round of polling,” Yadav said.
“The BJP dupes even poor people. They gave a free cylinder but hiked the prices of LPG, making it impossible for them to get the cylinders refilled,” Yadav said.
“Farmers are already troubled by inflation. We will provide free fertilisers to small farmers in the state. BJP people used to say they will ensure that people who wear slippers can fly in aeroplanes, but the BJP sold the aeroplanes and ships after coming to power. They are now selling even railway stations,” Yadav said.
Reiterating the party’s promise of providing 300 units of electricity free, Yadav said “Adityanath cannot take the name of power plants neither does he know how to operate smartphones and tablets.”
The former state chief minister said close to 11 lakh government posts are lying vacant which will be filled when his government comes to power.
“We will open police recruitment for youths after coming to power. If needed we will provide age relaxation to those candidates who turned overage due to the COVID pandemic,” he said, adding he would also appeal to the Army to recruit more youths from the state.
Yadav said BJP leaders talk about Pakistan and terrorism in UP whereas “people here need fertilizers and jobs”.
He also took a jibe on the BJP for not giving a ticket to Legislative Assembly Speaker Hriday Narayan Dixit.
Speaking in Ayodhya later, Yadav urged people to not allow vitiating of the composite culture of the region.
“This land of Faizabad-Ayodhya reflects the ‘Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb’. Don’t spoil the culture by being misguided by other parties,” he said in the district’s Rudauli area while campaigning for party candidate Anand Sen.
He said people who “falsely” promised to double the income of farmers have to be uprooted from power.
Batting for farmers in the state, Yadav said paddy is not being bought and the BJP is only working to “fill the coffers of the rich”.
“BJP leaders tell all kinds of lies. Small leaders tell small lies, big leaders tell big lies and the biggest leaders tell white lies,” he said.
Remembering late SP leader Mitrasen Yadav, he said the party can never forget “Babuji’s” work done for poor and downtrodden.
He appealed to people to vote SP to power to fulfil the dream of the seven-time MLA.
Unnao will go to polls in the fourth phase on February 23, and Ayodhya on February 27.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday accused the Samajwadi Party of having a nexus with terrorists and said it should tell people about its relations with the father of a convict in the Ahmedabad serial bomb blasts case.
Chouhan was addressing an election rally in Rampur Karkhana’s Bairiyapur in Deoria district, where polling will be held on March 3.
“(SP president) Akhilesh Yadav needs to answer what is the SP’s relations with the father of terrorist and 2008 Ahmedabad bomb blasts convict Mohd Saif. Akhilesh should answer whether a terrorist’s father is an SP leader or not? He needs to answer why his party is found having ties with mafia, rioters and terrorists. Why there were riots in Uttar Pradesh during his regime,” he told the rally.
He accused the SP of having a nexus with terrorists.
Hailing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Chouhan said he is called “baba” and explained what it stands for.
“B stands for brave and CM Yogi Adityanath destroyed the mafia in the state. A stands for active and our Yogiji is always active and works for the development of UP. B stands for brilliant and CM Yogi brilliantly bulldozes wrongdoers. A stands for attentive and CM Yogi is always attentive to the safety and security for the state,” he said.
He also said that under the BJP governments in the state and at the Centre, the economy of Uttar Pradesh reached the second position in the country.
“The economy of the state climbed to second position in the country from seventh in 2013,” he said.
