LUCKNOW Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday termed the Samajwadi Party a “shraap (curse)” for Uttar Pradesh, alleging that whenever the party came to power, it only brought chaos. He said the younger generation had not witnessed the “misrule” of SP and the youth should know this from elders in their family.
“Ask your elders what a curfew is and what disturbances are. Ask them how homes of the poor were looted, how rights of the poor were robbed, how employment opportunities of young people were plundered and how safety of women and daughters was compromised. SP is a curse for the state,” he said addressing a public meeting after launching development projects worth over ₹520 crore for Mankapur and Gaura assembly constituencies in Gonda.
He also accused the previous SP government of “restricting religious practices” and preventing festivals in the state, alleging that it did not allow the Kanwar Yatra and celebrations in western Uttar Pradesh.
The CM also alleged that during the SP government’s tenure, devotees wishing to worship Maa Durga in their homes also faced opposition, with complaints being filed against such practices.
“SP government did not allow Kanwar Yatra to pass through western UP. They created obstacles to festival observance and celebrations,” he said, adding, this year, 4.5 crore devotees participated in Kanwar Yatra between Ghaziabad and Haridwar.
{{/usCountry}}“SP government did not allow Kanwar Yatra to pass through western UP. They created obstacles to festival observance and celebrations,” he said, adding, this year, 4.5 crore devotees participated in Kanwar Yatra between Ghaziabad and Haridwar.
{{/usCountry}}Adityanath said the BJP stood for respecting faith, while SP and Congress supported crime. “They bring criminals; we bring change,” he said.
Contrasting the previous government’s approach with the development initiatives undertaken by his government, the CM highlighted the transformation of Ayodhya and said the Deepotsav celebrations on the sacred land of Lord Ram would also contribute to Gonda’s development.
Referring to an incident of November 2, 1990, he said on this day, during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in Ayodhya, the then Samajwadi Party government opened fire on Ram devotees, leaving them bloodied. He said: “We paved way for the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya by showering flowers on Ram devotees. We advanced Ayodhya’s development and, through Deepotsav, ensured that the development generated by the lamps lit in the sacred land of Lord Ram would reach Gonda as well.”
“This is the land that witnessed the bravery of Maharaja Suheldev, whose power, inspired by Maa Pateshwari Shaktipeeth, helped annihilate foreign invaders and the valour of Maharaja Devi Baksh Singh, an immortal freedom fighter of the First War of Independence in 1857. The identity of this sacred land, associated with the yoga tradition of Maharishi Patanjali and Ram Katha of Goswami Tulsidas, had been endangered by the lack of development. The land that showed the world the light had itself been left in darkness,” he said.
Adityanath said over the past nine and a half years, projects worth more than ₹16,000 crore had been approved for Gonda while projects worth approximately ₹50,000 crore had been approved for the Devipatan division. He said at the UP Investors Summit held in 2023, Gonda alone received
investment proposals worth ₹3,000 crore. He said projects worth hundreds of crores had already been implemented on the ground, while work on the remaining was also being expedited.
He said earlier, development meant only Saifai while now it was taking place in all 75 districts. “A medical college named after Maharaja Devi Baksh Singh has been constructed in Gonda and a medical college named after Maharaja Suheldev has been constructed in Bahraich. Construction of a medical college named after revered Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Balrampur is in its final stage. Establishing a university in the Devipatan division is also part of this transformation,” added the CM.
Union minister of state for external affairs and MP Kirti Vardhan Singh expressed special gratitude to the CM on the occasion. Comparing the ground reality before 2014 with the rapid expansion of infrastructure since 2014 and 2017, Singh noted that residents who once struggled for basic amenities like roads and electricity were now witnessing unprecedented connectivity and institutional growth.