E-Paper
In MP, Yogi underscores BJP’s achievements; hits out at Congress, BSP
Referring to the Deepotsav in Ayodhya, Yogi asserted that under Congress rule, such festivities and the construction of the Ram temple would not have been possible. He also played up how law and order was so effective in UP where an effective crackdown on corruption had been undertaken.
Lucknow: Taking a swipe at the Congress on Tuesday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath reminded voters in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh (MP) about the relevance of “bearing the burden of a party” that had failed to ensure security and development.
He also targeted the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Rewa where the lone BSP lawmaker had previously defected to the BJP, as he reminded the electorate about the fate of the Congress and the BSP in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, in which the BJP and Yogi Adityanath went on to create history by being the first government in decades to be repeated with the same chief minister.
The Congress and the BSP had won just three seats in the most populous state in which after the BJP, the Samajwadi Party had won maximum seats to become the main opposition party.
The Congress, being the main opposition party in Madhya Pradesh, is on Yogi’s radar but the attack on the BSP (which has inked pact with Gondwana Ganatantra Party to align Dalits and tribals, a traditional BJP and Congress support base in MP) indicated that the BJP had decided to go all out to retain MP.
Referring to the Deepotsav in Ayodhya, Yogi asserted, “Under Congress rule, such festivities and the construction of the Ram temple would not have been possible,” and went on to question the “relevance of carrying the burden of a party that was unable to ensure safety and security of the people.”
Addressing a series of election meetings in Rewa, Chhatarpur and Bhind, where the BJP is looking to buck anti-incumbency by securing a record fourth consecutive term in office, Yogi Adityanath said, “Remember how previously headlines were dominated by infiltration in Ladakh, Kargil, Arunachal and Kashmir. In sharp contrast, the focus today is on teaching terrorists a lesson.”
He also targeted the Congress and its top leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi drawing ba contrast with BJP rule and pro-poor outreach during the Covid -19 pandemic.
“During the pandemic, bhai-behen ko Madhya Pradesh-Uttar Pradesh ki nahin, Nana-Nani ki yaad aati thi (During the pandemic, instead of remembering UP and MP, the brother-sister duo remembered their maternal grandmother more).”
He also played up how law and order was so effective in UP where an effective crackdown on corruption had been undertaken.
“Have you ever encountered any instances of ‘vasooli (extortion)’ while travelling from Khajuraho to Lucknow?” he asked the audience who responded with a unanimous “no.”
Yogi Adityanath credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for the development that transformed Madhya Pradesh from a BIMARU state to a developed one in the past two decades.
“Now, extortion and hooliganism are non-existent. A double engine government ensures security, good governance and development. Before 2017, the mafia formed a parallel government in UP, but now they have disappeared. A new story of development is now unfolding there,” he added.
Highlighting the historical alliance of the Kol community with Lord Ram during the crisis, Yogi accused the Congress of misleading various communities. Urging the voters to elect BJP candidates, He said, “”If you take them to Bhopal, they will bring you to Ayodhya.”
Bhopal is the capital of Madhya Pradesh where the state assembly is located and Yogi Adityanath meant to convey that if the BJP won, the government would ensure that people of Madhya Pradesh got to visit Ayodhya after the grand temple inauguration on January 22.
