Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Friday termed the upcoming urban body elections "Deva-Asura sangram", a battle between the gods and their enemies, and said it is necessary to teach the corrupt and the mafia a lesson.
Addressing an election meeting ahead of the state-wide civic polls on May 4 and 11, the chief minister assured the development of the sacred Naimisharanya site in Sitapur.
"Naimisharanya will undergo a facelift on the lines of Kashi, Ayodhya and Mathura. After Naimisharanya's rejuvenation, religious tourism will create employment opportunities in every sector," he said in Sitapur.
Adityanath also addressed meetings in Lakhimpur Kheri and Balrampur as part of the campaign.
He compared the civic polls to the war between the gods and demons.
"In this land of Naimisharanya, Maharishi Dadhichi once donated his bones to make weapons for the victory of the divine forces," he said, adding the elections provided an opportunity to teach a lesson to the corrupt and the criminals who flourished under the previous regimes in the state.
The BJP has been attacking the opposition Samajwadi Party for allegedly giving patronage to criminals when it was in power.
At another meeting, Adityanath said that before 2017, when the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh, there was hooliganism in the state and a "goonda tax" used to be collected from traders.
But now nobody dares to demand it, he said.
"Basic facilities will start to reach every home as soon as the 'third engine' joins the 'double-engine government," he said, referring to the BJP governments already in Uttar Pradesh and at the Centre.
"The benefits of the government's schemes will be made available to everyone without discrimination," Adityanath added.
In Lakhimpur Kheri, he said along with facilities like four-lane roads, and technical education, the area will soon have a medical college and its airstrip developed into an airport.
Lakhimpur will serve as a hub of ecotourism, which will open new avenues for the region's development, he said.
He claimed only the BJP reached out to people during the Covid pandemic.
"We also provided a free ration facility. Whether it is welfare schemes for the poor or the infrastructure, we have taken care of everything," he said.
At an election rally in Gorakhpur, Adityanath said caste politics had ruined Uttar Pradesh.
"Caste politics was created by the mafia and led to an identity crisis among the youth. However, the people of the state rejected those indulging in caste politics. Now the mafia are begging for their lives by hanging a placard around their neck," the chief minister said.
Adityanath also said the money provided by his government for development works should be used without discrimination. For this, a board with a full majority of BJP corporators will have to be formed in all civic bodies, he said.
Referring to last year's Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, which he contested from Gorakhpur, the chief minister said, "I did not come for campaigning even for a day during the polls as I was busy in other areas of the state. Even then, the people here made me win by (a margin of) 1.05 lakh votes."
"Every voter here considers our election as their own. Due to this affinity, every problem of theirs becomes my problem and I try my best to solve it," he said.
He said exhorted the people to elect BJP candidate Dr Manglesh by a huge margin so that the BJP forms the civic board with a full majority.
The urban body elections are slated in the state in two phases on May 4 and May 11.
Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Balrampur and Gorakhpur will vote on May 4. Votes polled in the two-phase election will be counted on May 13.
-With PTI Input
