By PTI
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday confirmed he will contest the upcoming assembly elections, but from which seat will be decided by the party leadership.
“I will fight the election from wherever the party says,” Adityanath said when asked whether he will contest from Ayodhya, Mathura, or from his home district Gorakhpur.
Yogi, who is currently a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, was interacting with the media here.
Asked if there was any work he could not do in his five-year tenure, Yogi said, “Whatever was said, was done. There is no work left for which there should be any regret.”
The CM tried to allay concerns apparent among some of the sitting MLAs regarding getting party tickets saying the BJP was a “very big family” and people’s role in it may change with time.
“Every person’s role is different at different times. It is not necessary that one person should always be in the government, sometimes he can also do the work of the organisation,” he said.
The CM said COVID-protocol will be followed to the hilt whenever the dates for the election are announced.
Asked about what changed since the 2017 elections, Adityanath said: “In 2017 we fought on failures of the state government. This time we are contesting on the basis of our achievements.”
The CM also took a swipe at Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav’s promise of giving 300 free units of electricity to domestic consumers upon coming to power, saying that people of the state know “only five districts used to get power supply before 2017”.
Earlier in the day, the SP chief while wishing the people a happy New Year, made the announcement tweeting in Hindi.
“2022 will be a new year with new light for a new Uttar Pradesh. Three hundred units of electricity for households (domestic consumers) will be given free and electricity for irrigation will be free,” Akhilesh wrote.
On the Congress’ promise of giving scooties to women upon coming to power, Adityanath asked how many scooties have been distributed in Punjab, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan where the party has its government.
During the Samajwadi Party regime in Uttar Pradesh, the famous ‘Rampuri’ knives were used only for grabbing land of the poor while the present state government is promoting it under the ODOP scheme to enrich people, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Saturday.
CM Adityanath made the blistering remark in Rampur, the home turf of veteran SP leader Azam Khan while inaugurating some completed projects and laying foundation stones for some new ones, totalling 25 developmental works worth Rs 95 crore.
He also mocked SP chief Akhilesh Yadav over his remarks earlier that he too could have been built the Ram temple, saying he could have thought of it only if he had the time after developing graveyards.
Referring to the “Rampuri chakku”, a type of famous knife named after Rampur district, Adityanath said the sharp-edged weapon has been included in the one-district-one-product scheme of his government for the betterment of the people of the area.
“We follow the ‘guru Parampara (tradition)’ for using the Rampuri knife under the ODOP of the district). Good people use it to protect the country and religion,” he said.
“But wrong people misuse it for looting and capturing the properties of the poor and downtrodden. It became a tool for capturing the land of the poor during the SP govt,” he said.
Attacking SP chief Yadav, the chief minister said, “I heard “babua” telling people that he too could have got the Ram Mandir built. He could have surely built the temple had he got time after building graveyards.”
“It’s amazing that those who did not hesitate in firing bullets at Hindus in Ayodhya are now talking of getting a Ram mandir built there,” he said.
Comparing the performance of his government with that of the previous ones, Adityanath said, “The difference is clear. Before 2017, the accused of Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur riots used to be facilitated the CM’s residence.”
“But after 2017, the farmers are honoured and Gurbani is recited there,” he added.
“Our government adopted a zero-tolerance policy to eliminate crime and criminals, wrested control of the poor’s property from landgrabbers and razed their illegal properties the ground with bulldozers,” the chief minister said.
Adityanath also targeted Yadav over his promise of completely free power for irrigation to farmers and 300 units of free electricity domestic consumers.
“When you did not give electricity at all (during your regime) where is the matter of free power? On the contrary, beg for forgiveness from the people for the arbitrary recovery of electricity dues from them that you used to do,” the chief minister said.
“Today we can say that without discrimination in UP, there is electricity all the time everywhere, including the huts of the poor and palaces of rich people,” he said.
“It was our government that provided electricity and built toilets,” he added.
Earlier on Saturday, Yadav had said if voted to power, his government will give 300 free units of electricity to domestic consumers, and the electricity bill on irrigation will be waived.
Referring to the seizure of unaccounted and uncountable bundles of cash during raids by taxation sleuths at some perfume traders and manufacturers, including an SP MLC, CM Yogi made a fierce attack on the SP and asked them to apologize to the public.
“We are recovering money from the people who were looting public and buried it in the walls. In the SP government, the youth got cheated and did not get the job,” he said.
Highlighting the BJP works in the Centre and the state, Adityanath said, “After Modi ji came to power, the Kartarpur corridor associated with Guru Nanak Dev Ji was opened, while the previous governments used to exploit the poor, encourage rioters, inspire terror attacks and drop cases against terrorists.”
Questioning the earlier Congress government in the Centre, the CM asked, “Why they did not abrogate the legislative provision in Kashmir during its regime? When the SP and BSP used to support Congress, why didn’t they end it? The work of abolishing Article 370 has to be done by the Narendra Modi government.”
