UP has law and order problem, says Ram Naik

Newly appointed Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik said UP and several states of the country are facing a law and order problem.

“What you have said is correct. I think not only Uttar Pradesh, several other states of the country have problems of law and order. UP has other problems also. When I go there, I will get information on those issues,” Naik said here.

He was responding to a question on the law and order situation in UP. Addressing a press conference here, he said the safety and security of the common man, unemployment and education are other issues he will look into when he goes to the Raj Bhavan in Lucknow.

He said that as a governor, he will work as a “bridge” between the Centre and the state government. The 80-year-old BJP leader and a former member of parliament said he will try to find a “suitable way forward” on what all he can do to help the state with central assistance.

Naik said he would take oath as governor in Lucknow on July 22 evening. The former union minister said since he has been appointed to the high constitutional post, he has stepped down from various BJP posts. “I met party president Amit Shah today and handed over my resignation,” he said.

He also met President Pranab Mukherjee and home minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday.

“While I was leaving, the president gave me a copy of the constitution of India. We recalled our old association and I took directions from him,” he said. He said Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav congratulated him on his appointment as Governor.