SP President Waiting To Wear Saffron And Join Kanwar Yatra, Says CM Yogi

Basti, July 10: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while targeting the Samajwadi Party, said that religious faith is now being respected in Uttar Pradesh. He noted, “Kanwar pilgrims carrying the waters of the Saryu from Ayodhya to Bhadeshwarnath Dham are showered with flower petals from helicopters, whereas earlier the Kanwar Yatra and other religious events were stopped. Today, seeing the enthusiasm and devotion of the devotees, it appears that even the Samajwadi Party president is waiting to wear saffron attire and join the Kanwar Yatra.”

He asserted, “The Opposition should apologise to the people for making people offer namaz on the steps of Hanumangarhi, taking action against those who chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ the Parshurampur riots, and incidents that hurt religious sentiments.”

On Friday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of 77 development projects worth more than ₹504 crore in the Harraiya and Kaptanganj Assembly constituencies of Basti. He also distributed certificates/sanction letters and assistance materials to beneficiaries of various government schemes.

Yogi attacks previous governments

The Chief Minister stated, “Before 2017, government funds were spent on constructing boundary walls for graveyards and facilitating illegal encroachments, whereas today the same funds are being utilised for the restoration and development of religious sites. At that time, in the name of the Waqf Board, the lands of the poor, Dalits, and the deprived were encroached upon, and this had become common during the rule of the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, and Congress.”

Recalling an old incident, he said, "When I was the Member of Parliament from Gorakhpur, a district president of the Samajwadi Party himself came to me with a complaint that land near his house was being forcibly encroached upon in the name of a graveyard. I sent my workers, got the encroachment removed, and saved his land. At that time, the SP government could only see graveyards, not the common people."

The Chief Minister highlighted, “Earlier development schemes remained confined to paper, whereas today projects whose foundation stones are laid and inaugurated are visible on the ground.”

Education and infrastructure push

Referring to the Chief Minister Composite School being built in Harraiya, he said, "Modern education from pre-primary to Class 12 would be available on a single campus. An expenditure of ₹27 crore to ₹30 crore is being incurred on each school, where smart classrooms, modern buildings, furniture, and all necessary facilities will be provided.”

He added, "The education system under the Samajwadi Party government had fallen victim to a culture of cheating, and the future of the youth had become bleak. Farmers did not receive facilities, the poor were deprived of the benefits of government schemes, and the power supply system was so poor that people in Basti used to dry clothes on electricity wires."

Taking a dig, he further said, "While the public was struggling with a power crisis, film stars' programmes were being organised in Saifai."

Ram Temple and religious issues

The Chief Minister pointed out, "It was these very people who got namaz offered on the sacred steps of Hanumangarhi." He alleged that they had tried to make every major religious place controversial and had continuously pursued politics of creating disputes in Ayodhya as well.

CM Yogi said, "There was a time when anyone who raised the slogan of 'Jai Shri Ram' in Ayodhya faced lathi charges and bullets."

He added, “Those opposing the construction of the Ram Temple had claimed that if the temple was built, rivers of blood would flow. But we had said that not even a mosquito would die, and today the entire country has seen that the grand Ram Temple has been built, the Pran Pratishtha has been completed, and there has been no unrest anywhere. No one could stop the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, and this is the victory of the faith, belief, and resolve of crores of Ram devotees."

Law and order claims

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated, “During the Samajwadi Party's rule, the saying had become common in the state: ‘Dekh Sapai, Bitiya Ghabraai.’ At that time, the safety of women and daughters was under threat, and law and order had completely collapsed.”

He further asserted, “When the government itself becomes a threat to the safety of sisters and daughters, it can only be compared to the rule of Duryodhana."

CM Yogi said, “Earlier riots used to take place in Basti and across the state during festivals such as Durga Puja, Holi, and Ram Navami.” Referring to the Parshurampur riots, he stated that Dalit and poor settlements were burnt down, but the government took no action.

He recalled, "At that time, I had come from Gorakhpur to stand with the victims and share their pain."

He asserted, "No major communal riot had taken place in the state over the past nine years and all festivals had been celebrated peacefully. Now criminals fear the law."

Development of religious sites

CM Yogi highlighted, “Makhouda Dham is the sacred land where Maharaja Dasharatha performed the Putreshti Yajna, as a result of which Lord Vishnu incarnated as Shri Ram. Makhouda Dham, Baba Bhadeshwarnath Dham, Tapasi Dham, and the birthplace of the eminent litterateur Acharya Ramchandra Shukla are the proud identities of this region. When people elect good public representatives, development becomes visible on the ground. Makhouda Dham, Bhadeshwarnath Dham, and Tapasi Dham are being developed rapidly. After the resolution of the Karna Mandir dispute, beautification work there is also being started.”

CM Yogi stated, “The route of the 84 Kosi Parikrama begins from Makhouda Dham and is also being developed as the Ayodhya Ring Road while ensuring convenience for devotees.”

He alleged that Samajwadi Party governments used to stop the 84 Kosi, 14 Kosi, and Panchkosi Parikramas, whereas the BJP government is respecting religious faith and developing pilgrimage sites.

CM Yogi pointed out, "Nearly 1,500 temples have already been restored across the state, and with the change in government, the results have also changed. The BJP government is taking heritage and development together. To fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve of a Viksit Bharat, a Viksit Uttar Pradesh and a Viksit Basti are being built."

Referring to the Medical College, Engineering College, Agriculture Centre of Excellence, Makhouda Dham, Bhadeshwarnath Dham, and several other development projects in Basti, he said, "The scale of development that Harraiya and Basti have witnessed over the past nine years has never been seen since Independence."

On the occasion, state government minister Surya Pratap Shahi, MLA Ajay Singh, Regional President Vinod Rai, District President Vivekanand Mishra, MLA Doodh Ram, Member of the Legislative Council Subhash Yaduvansh, District Panchayat President Sanjay Chaudhary, Vice Chairman of the Go Seva Commission Mahesh Shukla, former MLA Chandra Prakash Shukla, Dayaram Chaudhary, Ravi Sonkar, and others were present.

CM Yogi distributes scheme benefits

CM Yogi distributed certificates/sanction letters and assistance materials to beneficiaries of various government schemes:

• Sunita Devi (Cheque to a scheme beneficiary)
• Agyaram Verma (Cheque to a scheme beneficiary)
• Jagdamba Prasad (Beneficiary certificate)
• Shriram (PM Kisan Samman Nidhi certificate)
• Kaushalya Devi (Cheque to a scheme beneficiary)
• Seema (₹5 lakh cheque to a scheme beneficiary)
• Poonam Devi (Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana Gramin sanction letter)
• Aruna Devi (Key to a house under Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana Gramin)
• Aarush Agrawal (Laptop)
• Umesh Kumar (Cashless Medical Scheme)