Amroha/Ghaziabad: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath invoked Pakistan at a political rally on Friday and said while those in the neighbouring country are fighting hunger, "80 crore people in India are getting free ration". Addressing a poll rally in Amroha in western Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also said the "phir ek baar Modi sarkar" slogan of the saffron party is reverberating across the country.
Adityanath spoke before Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the rally that was organised in support of Kanwar Singh Tanwar, the BJP candidate from the Amroha constituency in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.
"Pakistan, which has a population of hardly 23-24 crore, was formed after the partition in 1947 and is suffering from hunger today. This is also an example -- on one side, there is Pakistan, and on the other side, there is the promise of free ration to more than 80 crore people," the chief minister said.
The BJP, in its Lok Sabha poll manifesto, has promised to continue to provide free ration to more than 80 crore people in the country for the next five years. Adityanath said "only one slogan is being heard from every direction -- phir ek baar Modi sarkar". Welcoming Modi to Amroha, he hailed him for bringing transformative changes in the country.
Adityanath addressed the rally as polling was underway in eight western Uttar Pradesh constituencies in the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls. Amroha will go to polls in the second phase on April 26. Tanwar won the Amroha seat in 2014, but was defeated in 2019 by Danish Ali, who was with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) then. Ali is again in the fray from Amroha on a Congress ticket.
Adityanath later addressed a political rally in Ghaziabad's Modinagar and lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts in uplifting farmers, stating that they resonate with the aspirations of the late Bharat Ratna Chaudhary Charan Singh. Adityanath appealed for votes in support of RLD candidate Rajkumar Sangwan in the Baghpat Lok Sabha constituency.
He highlighted Modi's initiatives to honour the 'annadatas' such as the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, emphasizing their impact on various facets of national development. The chief minister highlighted India's significant strides in social welfare initiatives, pointing out that over the past four years, 80 crore people have benefited from free ration distribution, contrasting starkly with the dire situation of hunger affecting 23 crore individuals in Pakistan.
"When we elect a good leader, the outcomes are also positive," Adityanath said. Regarding the Surya Tilak of Lord Shri Ram on the occasion of Ram Navami, he said that it has made the entire country proud. Adityanath criticized the Samajwadi Party, BSP and Congress, accusing them of posing a security threat in western UP.
He pointed out that under their rule, neither women nor businessmen felt safe and the farmers' tube wells were even removed from their fields. "Our government has made a provision to provide free electricity to 15 lakh private tube wells. The government has taken this decision to realize the dream of Chaudhary (Charan Singh) Saheb," he said.
He pointed out that previous administrations were known for inciting riots, whereas now there are no such riots or curfews and Kanwar Yatras are celebrated grandly. "We have made it clear that those jeopardizing the safety of women and businessmen will be held accountable," Adityanath said. RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary was also present on this occasion.
