For Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, bulldozer has been the strongest poll pitch against ‘the goondaraj’ in the previous Samajwadi Party (SP) regime. On Thursday, when he led a roadshow in Mainpuri, an SP stronghold since 1996, a number of bulldozers—symbolising law and order—lined up there from atop which locals and BJP workers showered flower petals on the CM who was on a specially designed chariot.
“We had sought around 20 bulldozers but could get a little less. They were placed at certain gaps all along the roadshow route. The CM has rekindled our moral and each BJP worker will work harder now as the roadshow has instilled a new confidence in party cadre here,” said BJP district unit chief Rahul Chaturvedi.
Earlier, the CM was offered a ‘pagri’ (headgear) as he moved on the specially designed ‘rath’ over a vehicle. He waved towards locals who had climbed to the rooftops of their homes to have a glimpse of Yogi. Locals had lined up all along the road. Flower petals were showered on the CM as his around 45-minute roadshow moved through the city.
Addressing a gathering before the roadshow concluded, Yogi said, “Voters should punish the Samajwadi Party for entering into an alliance with the Congress which plans to divert a share to minorities from reservation available to backwards. This is a daylight dacoity, yet the SP is hand-in-glove with the Congress to betray the backwards.”
“When (SP patriarch) Mulayam Singh Yadav died, I went to his village to attend his last rites while the PM expressed his condolences. However, when (former CM and BJP veteran) Kalyan Singh died, SP leaders remained silent and did not even condole his death,” the CM said.
{{/usCountry}}“When (SP patriarch) Mulayam Singh Yadav died, I went to his village to attend his last rites while the PM expressed his condolences. However, when (former CM and BJP veteran) Kalyan Singh died, SP leaders remained silent and did not even condole his death,” the CM said.
{{/usCountry}}“Present SP leadership not only insulted Babuji (Kalyan Singh), backwards but also the belief of many across the nation,” he added. The CM also said during election, the SP gives opportunity only to members of Saifai (Mulayam’s ancestral village) family and cannot find any other Yadav fit for contesting polls.
“SP-Congress alliance is taking nation towards slavery and for the sake of appeasement, the Congress is now promising freedom to minorities to have food of their choice. So, it now plans to give protection to cow slaughter,” the CM said as he asked how can any true Indian vote for such an alliance.
BJP Mainpuri candidate Jaiveer Singh, Kalyan Singh’s grandson Sandeep Singh and Asim Arun, all Yogi 2.0 ministers besides Rajya Sabha MP Geeta Shakya were prominent among those who accompanied the CM during over a kilometre-long roadshow during which party workers raised “Jai Shri Ram” slogan.
Mainpuri goes to the polls in the third phase on May 7. The SP has fielded party president Akhilesh Yadav’s wife and sitting MP Dimple Yadav from the seat.