'Those who divided UP on basis of caste, family will do so again if elected,' says Adityanath

Ghaziabad/Lucknow, Nov 22 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that those who divided the state in the name of 'family' and 'caste' will do it once more if given a chance, as he attacked the parties which governed the state before him.

Addressing the 'Prabuddhjan Sammelan' (gathering of intellectuals) in Ghaziabad, Adityanath said, "Those who used to divide the state in the name of 'parivaarvaad', and casteism, did the work of tearing the social fabric apart. Their habits have not gone even today.

"They unleashed chaos and anarchy, when they were in power, shielding and encouraging gangsters and the mafia. We don't want to give them the opportunity," he said.

At the event, he launched 755 development projects worth Rs 878 crore and also handed over the keys, and cheques to the beneficiaries of various schemes. He also released a coffee table book on Kanwar Yatra, the UP government said in a statement.

"Before 2017, the situation was bad all over western UP. Traders and women were unsafe. Professional criminals and mafia used to operate crimes in an organised manner and spoil the life of common people. No entrepreneur wanted to invest in the state," Adityanath said.

"The situation has changed in the last five years. Today, a better atmosphere has been developed in the state, not only for the ease of doing business but also for 'ease of starting business.' "The reason for this is the policy of zero tolerance against criminals and corruption by the state government," he said.

He called the intellectuals the "opinion makers" of society.

"You have contributed in changing the perception about the state. Your contribution is needed to make UP the biggest economy of the country. The state government is working at the speed of a double engine. You have blessed the 'double engine government' as a triple engine," he said.

Adityanath said that since 2017, when BJP came to power with him at its helm, criminals have been leaving the state, while the businessmen who had left the state, have returned.

"The state, which was considered to be BIMARU earlier, is now moving ahead to become the second largest economy of the country. All this is because of the double engine government. With the double engine government, development work is moving at the pace of a bullet train," he said.

The chief minister urged the people to invest in UP and avail the benefits of its 25 sectoral policies. "I would say that everyone should come and invest in Uttar Pradesh and help the state become a 1 trillion dollar economy." PTI NAV VN VN