PM Narendra Modi blasts Akhilesh Yadav, says women feel unsafe under Samajwadi Party govt

Ghaziabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed alarm over the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh and accused the states ruling Samajwadi Party of sheltering criminals.

Addressing a Bharatiya Janata Party rally here, he charged the Akhilesh Yadav government of "destroying" the state and called upon the people to vote for the BJP to usher in development. 

"When Akhilesh became the Chief Minister, being young and educated, people had hopes from him. But he not just disappointed them, rather destroyed the state," said Modi. 

"Today women in Uttar Pradesh do not dare to venture out in the open after sunset. Such is the situation, that girls are apprehensive of going to school because of molesters and eve teasers. This is all because the criminals are sheltered by your leaders," said Modi targeting Akhilesh. 

He further said that rapes and murders are unaccounted for in Uttar Pradesh and the Samajwadi Party is neither worried, nor does it consider it their responsibility.

"The Samajwadi Party, which has been in power for last five years, it is their duty to answer the people of Uttar Pradesh about the work they have done," Prime Minister Modi added.

His rally comes three days ahead of the first phase of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. Modi is leading the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign and is expected to hold at least 15 public meetings in the state.

"Is this poll about choosing a new government, or about electing a new CM? This election is about ending 14 years of exile of growth (“vikas ka vanvas”) in U.P. and replacing it with growth and prosperity," he said alluding to Ramayana.

Modi, who represents Varanasi in Lok Sabha, attacked the Akhilesh-led government on several fronts, including law and order, even as he made promises of 'rectifying the wrongs' committed by the state government.

"They keep attacking me, and accuse that I have not kept promises. I tell you, I will give answer to the public in 2019, but Akhilesh government must answer to the people as it had ruled it for the last five years," he said.

"If you do not answer in Uttar Pradesh, how will you make it Uttam Pradesh?," he said. 

Asserting that the upcoming state assembly election is to bring development in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Modi stated that if one`s intentions are clear, it is not difficult to bring law and order in the state.

"If Bharatiya Janata Party assumes power in Uttar Pradesh we will scrutinise the scams in employment sector and will give jobs to unemployed people," he added.

He further took a dig at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and said, "When Akhilesh Yadav became Chief Minister, we thought there would be development in the state since he is young and highly educated, but he destroyed the state in five years."

PM also ridiculed the Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance and asserted the BJP would probe all scams under the Akhilesh regime if it came to power. 

"There is corruption in jobs, poor farmers and middle-class people’s lands have been snatched away. There are 40,000 complaints registered under the Arms Act," he noted.

If BJP forms government in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said, "I promise you, we will form a special task force to ensure that lands looted from farmers and middle-class people would be restored."

"We have also been asking for CAG audit of irregularities in GDA, but the Uttar Pradesh governance has not agreed. Once we form a government in UP, we will ensure that GDA and other development authorities are audited," he said.