'The Difference Is Clear': Adityanath Draws Comparisons Between BJP and SP Govts

Speaking at Rampur, Azam Khan's home turf, UP CM Adityanath takes jibes at Samajwadi Party.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo: Arnica Kala/The Quint)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday, 2 January, that during the rule of the Samajwadi Party, the famous 'Rampuri' knives were used to grab power from the poor, while the current BJP government was promoting it, under schemes that benefit the people.

According to an NDTV report, he said, "We follow the 'guru Parampara (tradition)' for using the Rampuri knife under the ODOP of the district. Good people use it to protect the country and religion."

"But wrong people misuse it for looting and capturing the properties of the poor and the downtrodden. It became a tool for capturing the land of the poor during the SP government," he added.

He was speaking at Rampur, which is Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s bastion.

In the run-up to the UP elections, the CM was inaugurating a few development projects and laying the foundation stone for a few more, totalling 25 projects.

The Rampuri knife is known for being made by the royal bladesmiths of the Nawab in the 18^th century. Yogi added that the sharp-edged weapon was now being used under the one-district-one-product scheme to benefit the people.

He compared the performance of his government, with that of the previous ones, and said that the difference was clear. He said that the accused in Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur riots used to be felicitated at the Chief Minister's residence, but after he came to power, the farmers were honoured and Gurbani was recited there instead.

Taking a jibe at SP chief, Akhilesh Yadav, Yogi said, "I heard 'babua' telling people that he too could have got the Ram Mandir built. He could have surely built the temple had he got time after building graveyards."

He added, "It's amazing that those who did not hesitate in firing bullets at Hindus in Ayodhya are now talking about getting a Ram mandir built there."

He attacked Yadav over a promise of free power for irrigation. "When you did not give electricity at all (during your regime) where is the matter of free power? On the contrary, beg for forgiveness from the people for the arbitrary recovery of electricity dues from them that you used to do," he said. He added that there was electricity everywhere today.

Earlier this week, the SP government had said that they would give 300 units of free power to all households and free electricity for irrigation. He added that his government had zero tolerance for crime and criminals.