PM Narendra Modi confident of BJP-Apna Dal forming govt in UP

In a region having a substantial Kurmi population, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to its ally Apna Dal more than twice.

Allahabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday exuded confidence that the BJP-Apna Dal alliance would form the next government in Uttar Pradesh while the ruling Samajwadi Party, the Congress and the BSP were "merely trying to salvage their face."

Addressing a rally in Andhawa, 40 kms from the city, Modi also mocked at the SP-Congress alliance, recalling the "27 saal, UP behaal.." slogan with the remark that "those who were lamenting about the state's plight have ended up joining hands with the ones who they blamed for the current state of affairs".

Seeking to strike a personal rapport, the Prime Minister said, "I am a member of Parliament from UP but all my efforts to serve the state have been negated by the SP government".

In a region having a substantial Kurmi population, Modi referred to its ally Apna Dal more than twice and signed off his 45-minute speech saying "the country would have been different, had Sardar Patel been its first Prime Minister."

Making a fervent appeal to voters of UP for giving the BJP a chance, the Prime Minister said "give us just one opportunity to serve you for five years and make your lives better".

Modi promised if BJP comes to power in UP, the loans of the debt-ridden farmers would be waived "in the first decision taken by the new state cabinet".

He also said his party's government in the state will "set up a special task force to curb the menace of land mafia who have been grabbing plots belonging to the government and the hapless citizens with impunity."

He also promised that a BJP government in UP will "put an end to the ongoing practice of converting police stations into the offices of the ruling party and protect those men in uniform who discharge their duties with integrity."

Taking a dig at UP CM Akhilesh Yadav's poll slogan "kaam bolta hai", Modi sought to dub his regime as that of "karname (misdeeds)"

"Not a single week has passed in the last five years in the state without the Allahabad High Court pulling up the state government for some wrongdoing," said the prime minister adding "this happens when a regime is known for its karname (misdeeds) and not for kaam (performance).

Taking potshots at the Congress, the Prime Minister said "the previous UPA regime flaunted a small hike in the number of subsidised gas cylinders as a great welfare initiative. We made an appeal for giving up subsidies to which 1.5 crore conscientious people responded and gave up claiming subsidy. This will enable us to give free gas connections to five crore poor people in five years."

"In less than a year we have given free gas connections to 1.8 crore people. Out of them 55 lakh beneficiaries are in UP," he said adding "1500 villages in the state are covered under our country-wide rural electrification drive".

Defending his decision to ban old currency notes, he said "only those who have been hoarding ill-gotten money" were critical of demonetisation.

The Prime Minister addressed the rally with over a dozen candidates of various assembly constituencies of Allahabad, Pratapgarh and Kaushambi districts flanking him on the stage. All these constituencies go polls on February 23.

The others who shared the stage with the PM included BJP state president Keshav Prasad Maurya and national secretary and Allahabad (West) nominee Siddharth Nath Singh, among others.