Mathura/Firozabad: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said the “failed engines” of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party had hindered the state’s progress earlier, urging people to vote BJP in the urban local body polls for a “triple-engine” government.
The chief minister addressed public meetings in Mathura, Firozabad and Agra as part of the campaign for the civic polls which will be held on May 4 and 11 across the state. Hema Malini, the local BJP MP, shared the stage with him in Mathura.
Adityanath blamed the previous governments for “hindering” development before the BJP came to power in both the state and at the Centre.
“However, with the double-engine government, development is taking place at twice the speed and with a triple engine the pace of development would increase three times,” Adityanath said in Firozabad.
He also stressed on the “improvement” of law and order in the state since his government took charge. “Before 2017, people belonging to a particular party used to roam around with ‘tamanchas’ (country-made pistols) in their hands. Today, the youth have tablets in their hands,” he said in Mathura. “Earlier, there used to be the terror of miscreants, today it is a safe city,” he said.
“The cities in UP are transforming into smart cities and shedding their previous reputation as garbage dumps”, he said.
“Before 2014, the country faced an identity crisis, with corruption at its peak and the youth feeling upset. India’s respect as a country was declining globally. Development was limited to the Five-Year Plans,” he said.
“India is now being recognised for its talent, technology and training, and the world community looks towards India in times of crisis,” he added.
He accused the previous governments of neglecting the development of Mathura, and said his government has launched projects worth Rs 32,000 crore that would revive the grandeur of Mathura in the ‘Dwapar era’.
Adityanath slammed the “corrupt and impoverished system” under earlier governments.
He said the formation of the Mathura-Vrindavan Municipal Corporation in 2017 and then the Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad have taken forward the action plan of overall development.
He urged people to vote for the BJP candidate in the Mathura poll and form a “triple-engine” government.
The CM said UP received investment proposals worth Rs 35 lakh crore during the Global Investors Summit 2023, and this will lead to 50,000 youths getting employment in the Braj region around Mathura.
“India has changed today and we must join this process of change. Today, major infrastructure and construction projects like airports, IITs, and AIIMS are completed within schedule. Places like Kashi, Ayodhya, Kedarnath and Mahakal are rejuvenated because of respect for heritage. This is the new India.” The chief minister said Jawahar Bagh in Mathura had once been a “hub of hooliganism” and there used to be riots in Kosi Kalan. But now PepsiCo India has set up one of the world’s largest manufacturing plants there, he said.
He also mentioned the ban on the sale of meat and liquor in large parts of Mathura and Vrindavan after the BJP came into power. “No one is allowed to play with the sanctity of this place,” he said. He said the Banke Bihari Dham will be developed on the lines of Varanasi.
“It is our responsibility to bring back the splendour of Barsana, Gokul, and Govardhan,” he said, adding that the municipal polls were important for this. —PTI
