Firing a salvo on chief minister and Samajvadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, just a couple of hours before the end of campaigning for the seventh and last phase of polling in UP, the prime minister Narendra Modi leveled charges that state government had adopted Bhedbhav (biasted) approach towards the farmers, especially in connection with several ambitious projects which were launched by the central government for their welfare of farmers.
Going further Modi said “the most shocking part of the state is the conversion of the police stations as Samajvadi Thanas.” He was addressing his last election meeting in ongoing assembly elections in the state at Khushipur in Rohaniya assembly constituency, in the western outskirts of the city here on Monday afternoon.
Before reaching there, the PM for the third consecutive day contacted the local people closely, coming out of his SUV not only at Ramna while visiting southern outskirts located Garhwaghat Ashram near river Ganga but also in trans-Ganga township of Ramnagar where he paid tributes to former prime minister late lal Bahadur Shastri visiting his parental house, developed and protect recently as a memorial. Preferring to term them as Janata-darshan instead of ‘road-shows’, BJP has made elaborate arrangements at both the places and Ramnagar was decorated with flowers to welcome the PM.
Modi first visited Garhwaghat Ashram, a leading religious organization, at Ramna where he served grass and fodder to the cows, offering tributes to saints and meeting with the Mahant Swami Sarnanand Saraswati. Outside the Ashram there was heavy rush of the people to have a glance of the PM who also responded them with smiling face. Then Modi visited Ramnagar, famous for its traditional Ramleela, and garlanded the statue of Shastriji at main crossing and then went to parental house of Shastriji where he saw the pictures and listened a bhajan highlighting the life and contributions of Shastriji. Sunil Shastri, son of late PM, and others welcomed Modi there.
In his last meeting after three days of hectic campaigning in his parliamentary constituencies covering half of the assembly seats intensively, Modi concluded his campaigning in the state asking the voters of Purvanchal going to polls on March 8 to shout slogans “Pahle Matdaan, phir jalpaan” along with him. BJP always believes that high polling percentage indicates its increasing support.
Highlighting achievements of his government taken since he came to power at the centre for the welfare of farmers, wooing this rural-dominated part of his own parliamentary constituency, he said that in many BJP –ruled state more than 50-60 percent Soil Testing Cards were made, in UP its progress was poorest as it is just around 14 percent. “This is because the priorities of Akhilesh government was different,” he said, adding that his government has decided to distribute lPG gas to five crore poor families with three years and more than 55 lakhs were already distributed.
levelling charge on Akhilesh government, he said that despite several objections from Allahabad High Court, irregularities in recruitment continued as it was recently seen when after forcing the government to re-evaluate her answer book for PCS examination when a meritorious girl was declared qualified she was rejected in the interview. Narrating this he said to check the corruption in the name of interviews his government had scrapped all types of interviews in third and fourth cadre jobs.
Criticising both SP-Congress and BSP for lagging the state in the race of development and holding them responsible for backwardness of Purvanchal, he said that the poll trend indicated that the BJP and its alliance partners are going to form its government in UP and the very first day after forming the government the party would waived off debts o the farmers. He said that after results the BJP would celebrate Holi, two days before the real festival. Union ministers Mahendra Nath Pandey and Anupriya Patel, candidates of several rural-based constituencies were present on the occasion.