Exodus from west UP has stopped, says Adityanath
Chief minister says rule of law has returned to state
LUCKNOW : Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said exodus from western Uttar Pradesh had stopped and over 500 criminals preferred jail over bail in the eight months of BJP rule in the most populous state.
Arriving in Lucknow after whirlwind tours of Aligarh, Mathura and Agra to campaign in favour of party candidates for the civic polls, Adityanath also promised to make all the 653 urban local bodies in the state shine as bright as ‘Ayodhya was during Diwali this year’ if the BJP won the elections.
“Better law and order will now help create the right atmosphere and help our efforts to seek investment which, in turn, will help provide jobs,” he said in his public meetings in Rajajipuram and Cantonment areas of Lucknow.
He said the state capital will be developed in such a way that it becomes a model for other cities of the state to emulate.
The alleged exodus of Hindu families from Kairana and Kandhla in western UP had become a hot political issue ahead of the 2017 UP polls. During his election rallies, Adityanath had promised to check it if a BJP government came to power. Now with BJP in power and him as chief minister, Adityanath linked the issue of return of the natives in west UP and the police drive against criminals as proof of what he called the “return of rule of law” in the state.
“The exodus has stopped. In fact, those who had forced people to flee have fled,” Adityanath said.
Checking Hindu exodus from western UP was among the BJP’s election promises as was improving the poor law and order situation under the Samajwadi Party rule.
“So far, over 1200 police encounters have taken place with criminals. Nearly 1100 criminals are behind bars and more than 800 have fled the state. In addition, another 500 have got their bail cancelled as they now feel that jail is better than staying outside,” Adityanath said.
He also referred to the closure of illegal slaughter houses as proof of his government’s commitment to carry out orders of the court in letter and spirit.
“Previously, court orders weren’t complied with on one pretext or the other. We changed that and the closure of illegal slaughter houses, ban on illegal mining, action against those who encroached on government land is proof of this,” he said. As the BJP’s star campaigner, Adityanath is slated to address nearly 35 public meetings in the state in favour of party candidates – the highest ever by any BJP chief minister in urban local body polls in which the party has always done well. “We used to do well earlier as well. But earlier we never had our own government in UP and the centre. If we win, developments will happen in all the 653 urban local bodies,” he said.