Second year will be ‘shaandar’ for Uttar Pradesh, says Yogi

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh made a fresh beginning in the last one year and the second year will prove to be magnificent (shaandar) for the state as the agenda for development is right on track, said chief minister Yogi Adityanath here on Sunday.

He was speaking at an event organised by a private news channel to mark the one year of BJP government in the state. Yogi took over as UP’s CM on March 19 last year.

“There was a time when two riots used to take place in UP every week but none took place in the last one year,” claimed the CM while replying to question on government’s performance in the one year.

“If you make policies based on castes, riots and migration will take place,” he said.

“Over 1,250 encounters have taken place in the state in last one year but none can be proved fake,” he said while insisting that the government was committed to give protection to the people.

“It is because of this change that the industrialists are coming to invest here while criminals, who were honoured by governments in the past, are leaving the state,” he said adding: “How can I ask a cop to wait for the bullet to come from opposite side first and then fire against criminals.” “Though one year is a short period for progress, a lot of steps have been taken to move forward,” he said.

“The by-polls were a learning lesson. When someone works with overconfidence, such things can happen. In 2019, BJP will win all seats,” he said.

Commenting on the BSP-SP alliance, the CM said it was more of a bargain than an alliance.

“They have to first decide a leader. Whether it will be Mayawati or Akhilesh? Or will they make Mulayam Singh Yadav as their leader? Or maybe by chance Shivpal’s luck might shine. But then what happens to Rahul Gandhi?” wondered the CM while adding: “I don’t know how far it will go.”

He avoided the question on his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah after the by-poll results.

He said over 37 lakh families will be given ration cards by March 31 and over 9 lakh poor families will get a pucca house.

› It is because of this change that the industrialists are coming to invest here while criminals, who were honoured by governments in the past, are leaving the state YOGI ADITYANATH, CM