E-Paper
UP polls: Modi says dynasts are sleepless after first phase of voting
Uttar Pradesh assembly election 2022: PM Modi addresses rally in Kannauj, says voters have foiled plan to divide people on caste and communal lines
Hitting out at the opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the “parivaarvadis” (dynasts) were sleepless and unable to dream anymore after the first phase of voting in the Uttar Pradesh polls (on February 10).
“They were hoping and working tirelessly to divide the people on caste and communal lines. The voters foiled their plan,” he said addressing a rally for the UP polls in Kannauj.
People were voting for good law and order and against the rioters and mafias unitedly, Modi said, adding that they have realised the BJP has the right antidote to the rioters and the mafia.
Giving example of Gujarat where riots were allegedly the norm at one time, he said the BJP ended that culture.
“Good law and order has been our priority,” Modi said.
Appearing to attack the main opposition Samajwadi Party, Modi also said the right intent and selfless work breeds trust in the people, but those whose politics was based on crime and criminals could never reform.
“This is why they have given tickets to history-sheeters, many of them are contesting from jail,” Modi said.
Earlier, UP districts were identified with mafia dons and gangsters living there but now products define these districts under the state’s government one district one product (ODOP) scheme, the prime minister said.
Stepping up the attack, Modi highlighted that democracy was government of the people, by the people and for the people, but the family-oriented parties have changed the spirit of democracy, making it government of the family, by the family and for the family.
“People of UP have decided to have those who work for them (rather) than (those who work for) the family,” he said in the context of the UP polls.
Unlike the opposition, the BJP government was making efforts to put perfumes made in Kannauj on the global platform, he added.
“There is a perfume industry in Kannauj that has become a victim to the politics of extreme parivaarvaad. They (Samajwadi Party) have defamed the perfume business here with their corruption, by their exploits. They linked perfume with corruption,” he said.
“We are working to make this perfume an international brand. We are working to take Kannauj’s perfume to the world,” the prime minister said.
Central GST and income tax officials recently had raided perfume makers and recovered ₹196 crore cash from businessman.
The prime minister also said the BJP is a party that works for the welfare of the poor.
“We were concerned about those who either don’t have land, or have a negligible plot of land. We were concerned about those sisters for whom animal husbandry is a means of self-reliance, self-respect. Uttar Pradesh has topped the states in providing houses to the poor, because there is a double engine government here. Poor sisters should get free gas connections because there is double engine government here. Lakhs of farmer families got the benefit of PM Kisan Samman Nidhi because there is a double engine government here,” Modi said.
“A huge chunk of society is involved in animal husbandry activities. We were concerned about their prosperity, their dignity,” Modi added.
Kannauj, Farrukhabad and Auraiya, for which Modi was addressing the rally, would go to polls in the third phase on February 20.
