Identity crisis has hit those who created UP’s identity crisis: CM Yogi
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said political parties responsible for the identity crisis of Uttar Pradesh, reducing its status to that of a “BIMARU” state, are now facing an identity crisis.
He said public funds are now used on centres of faith as opposed to building “boundary walls of kabristans” — an oft-repeated criticism by Adityanath against opposition parties.
“Uttar Pradesh is no longer struggling for an identity. Instead, those who once reduced the state to the status of a ‘BIMARU’ (sick) state are the ones now facing a crisis of identity. Those who had created an identity crisis for Uttar Pradesh are now confronting such a crisis themselves,” the chief minister said.
Addressing a gathering in Hamirpur after inaugurating and laying the foundation stones for 75 development projects worth Rs 636 crore, Adityanath said these projects materialised because the people elected capable representatives. Their votes for the “lotus” (BJP’s election symbol) have transformed the destiny of Uttar Pradesh.
Citing examples of the Kumbh Mela, the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Adityanath slammed the the Samajwadi Party, the state’s main opposition party.
“The Samajwadi Party used to order lathi-charges and firing on those chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ and imposed bans on the celebration of Shri Krishna Janmotsav and the Kanwar Yatra. Yet it openly encouraged rowdy behaviour on the streets during Muharram and Eid.”
Adityanath said the Ram Temple, the Kashi Vishwanath corridor and the shrine of Goddess Vindhyavasini in Mirzapur as examples of development.
He added his government has taken steps to beautify such places of worship. “Funds are now directed towards centres of faith. The money contributed by the public is no longer spent on constructing boundary walls for graveyards. That is the difference now,” Adityanath asserted.
Speaking on the occasion of yoga day, he said that millions of people connected through yoga across the globe is a reflection of a transforming India.
Adityanath said yoga is a gift from India’s tradition of sages and Prime Minister Modi has secured global recognition for it.
Hitting out at previous governments, he said, “In the past, ‘mafia’ used to encroach on the land of the poor, engage in illegal mining, endanger both traders and daughters and attack the police.”
“The image of Bundelkhand and Hamirpur used to be tarnished, but today, under the BJP government, there is no place for the mafia. They are either behind bars or have been reduced to dust,” the CM said.
He recalled that when he first visited the region after becoming CM in 2017, the idea of Bundelkhand Expressway was on his mind. “Today, Bundelkhand has its own expressway.”
“Recall that nine years ago, Bundelkhand was in a dire state, and mothers and sisters would spend their entire lives carrying water pots on their heads. It was not as though there was a lack of water. A region situated at the confluence of the Yamuna and Betwa rivers was left yearning for water, while the youth yearned for recognition.”
Adityanath added that sand, mining, and land mafia once dominated Bundelkhand and exploited the poor, but now “a historic transformation” has taken place under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi.
He assured that Bundelkhand would no longer face water or irrigation crises.
