Dacoity, loot, kidnapping, rapes and land grabbing have come down in Uttar Pradesh under the Yogi Adityanath government, Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah said in an exclusive interview to Rahul Joshi, Group Editor-in-Chief, Network18.
Drawing a contrast against the previous Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government, Amit Shah said even getting FIRs registered was a “big deal” in Uttar Pradesh at one point and people had to move out of cities like Meerut to Delhi for a better future.
“I have traveled by road to every district and block in UP from May 2013 to date. I can tell you that getting an FIR registered in UP was a big deal at one time. When the SP came to power, people of one community thought they had been given the power to do as they pleased. In west UP, buffaloes were taken from people’s homes and the farmers couldn’t do anything. I have actually seen that situation. Many people shifted from Meerut to Delhi so that their children could study. People were migrating from Meerut. Gangsters used to capture lands of residents worth crores,” Shah said in the interview.
Giving numbers that highlight improved law and order in the state, Amit Shah said, “After Yogi ji came into power, dacoity came down 72%. Loot came down 62%. Kidnapping came down 39%. Rape has come down 50%. This is a very important issue in Uttar Pradesh.”
Law and order is one of the key pitches by the ruling BJP in ongoing Uttar Pradesh election 2022, Shah said that along with gareeb kalyandevelopment and improved administration, law and order is one of the biggest issues on which people support the BJP in the state.
“This is the only time that Azam Khan, Atiq Ansari and Mukhtar Ansari are in jail. The people of Uttar Pradesh couldn’t imagine at one time that people who used to harass them would be in jail. Today, people live in peace. There is no ‘bahubali‘ and mafia in any district, something that was a permanent feature earlier. Property worth Rs 200 crore that had been grabbed by gangsters has now been confiscated from them. This is a huge achievement and people are acknowledging our work,” he said.
Amit Shah added during the interview that under the BJP, women’s safety has also improved in Uttar Pradesh. “In Kanpur, I have seen girls out on the roads on Scooties in the middle of the night, and I’m so happy for them. I saw this for myself from my hotel window. This is a huge achievement and people are acknowledging our work. And it is translating into votes.”
Shah also hit out at the Samajwadi Party and the BSP for withdrawing UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) cases during their respective tenures.
“The law and order issue is important. And now PM Modi has also spoken on terrorism. He spoke in Hardoi on the Ahmedabad blast case in which 38 accused have been sentenced to death. He said these terrorists were freed from jail during SP regime. Eleven such instances took place during the SP and BSP eras when UAPA and POTA cases were withdrawn. What do SP and BSP have to say about security in the country? They will have to answer the public,” Amit Shah said.
“After withdrawing UAPA and POTA, who are they helping? And why? For their vote banks? Do other people do not have the right to vote? Those who are the victims don’t have a vote? This is the feeling in the whole of Uttar Pradesh,” he added.
The Union Home Minister said the Congress, too, withdrew such cases during its rule.
“There are many such instances of this during Congress regimes, too, all over the country. Because Narendra Modi was Chief Minister (of Gujarat) at the time, this case (Ahmedabad blast case) could be resolved. There are many blast cases you can analyze. In very few have people got justice or a judgment has even come. Police worked efficiently and came out with evidence. The court also appreciated the evidence it received and passed judgment. The behavior of SP, BSP and other parties is clearly visible.”
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