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One Mohammad files petition against Wasim Rizvi in Allahabad HC to prevent him from speaking on Islam and Prophet Muhammad: Full details

OpIndia Staff
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One Mohammad files petition against Wasim Rizvi in Allahabad HC to prevent him from speaking on Islam and Prophet Muhammad: Full details

A petition has been filed before the Allahabad High Court seeking restraint on religious statements made on social media by ex-Shia Waqf Board Chairman Wasim Rizvi.

As per reports, the petition was filed by one Mohammad Yusuf Umar Ansari, the Secretary of Hazrat Khwaja Garib Nawaz Association. The petitioner sought direction to restrain Rizvi from raising questions against Quran or Prophet Muhammad. Ansari had alleged that Rivi had spoilt the atmosphere by making contentious remarks against the Muslim religion.

He sought the deletion of social media posts of the former Shia Waqf Board Chairman. While accusing him of anti-nationalism, the petition also sought direction from the Court to the Uttar Pradesh government to take legal action against him. Ansari said that Rizvi’s book named, ‘Muhammad’ mentioned several disputed items that can compromise peace and security in the country. He added that there were 19 such ‘problematic’ references in the book, including ‘Islami Atankwad‘ and ‘Hunain ka Balatkar Kand‘.

The petitioner alleged that Islam and the Quran had no defects and then explained why no question was raised about it in the past 1400 years. Ansari also informed the Allahabad High Court that a complaint was made to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for action against Wasim Rizi (aka Jitendra Narayan Swami).

Ansari concluded, “It is humble prayed before the Court to restrain (him) from giving harsh statement which can harm the National-wide or International, it is further stated that as he is given some irrespective statement regarding Quran in his book which is not justified for the internal society as the Quran is an international book many Islamic Persons have faith upon this book and each Islamic Country of the world is purely following the book Quran and nobody can harm the contents of the books. By his statement peace and harmony can be disturbed.”

Wasim Rizvi becomes Jitendra Narayan Swami, reverts to Hinduism

Earlier, OpIndia had reported that the former Shia Waqf Board chief Wasim Rizvi, who had been a frequent target of fundamentalists because of his statements, converted to Hinduism in the presence of Mahant Yati Narasinghanand Giri at Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad. Rizvi was welcomed back into the faith of his ancestors in a series of rituals, after which he was named Jitendra Narayan Swami.

After converting to Hinduism, Rizvi said, “Mughals have given the tradition of defeating Hindus. Muslims vote unanimously for the party that defeats Hindus. Muslim voters are only for defeating Hindus.” He further added, “I was thrown out of Islam. Every Friday, they announce more rewards for my head. Today I am accepting Sanatan Dharma.”

Maharashtra: Two arrested for smuggling ‘whale vomit’, ambergris worth Rs 1.1 crore seized

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Two arrested for smuggling ‘whale vomit’, ambergris worth Rs 1.1 crore seized

The Crime Branch of Pimpri Chinchwad on Wednesday arrested two persons for allegedly smuggling whale vomit or Ambergis as it is popularly known, while they were trying to sell it in Pune. The police recovered 550 gms of ambergris, which is reportedly worth Rs 1.1. crores, from the accused.

As per reports, the police received a tip-off on December 6 about a person who would be coming to an area near the Moshi toll booth to sell the whale vomit. Acting on the input, the police laid down a trap and sent a decoy customer to purchase the rare commodity.

The trap resulted in the detention of a man identified as John Sunil Sathe, from whom police recovered a red-brownish substance. The seized substance was sent to forest department officials who said it was ambergris after conducting tests on it.

Sathe was subsequently arrested after the confirmation from the forest team officials that the substance he was carrying was indeed ambergris. An investigation was launched into the case and Sathe’s interrogation led to the arrest of another man involved in the trafficking of whale vomit. One Ajit Hukumchand Bagmar was arrested by the police after he was identified as the person who had originally supplied the ambergris to Sathe. The efforts to arrest a third suspect who sent the ambergris to Bagmar by courier is still underway. An FIR was registered in Bhosari MIDC police under relevant sections of the wildlife protection act.

Ambergris or whale vomit used for manufacturing rare perfumes

Ambergris, also known as whale vomit, is a grey or blackish substance that is solid, flammable and waxy in nature and is extracted from the intestine of a sperm whale. The substance is produced by the whale to protect its gut from the sharp beaks of its prey, squid. It is often found floating in tropical seas and is used in manufacturing rare perfumes and fragrances. Often, sperm whales are preyed upon for the extraction of ambergris and then exported to Gulf countries for exorbitant prices.

Earlier this year, three persons were arrested from Gujarat for smuggling whale vomit. Similarly, in Thane too, police had arrested two people who were trying to sell ambergris worth Rs 2 crores in the market. The arrest was reportedly made after police received a tip-off about a possible sale of the rare substance, following which they laid a trap and nabbed the accused who were in possession of ambergris.

Operation Devi Shakti: 110 Sikhs, Swaroop of Guru Granth Sahib being brought to India from Afghanistan

OpIndia Staff
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Operation Devi Shakti: 110 Sikhs, Swaroop of Guru Granth Sahib being brought to India from Afghanistan

The Indian government is evacuating 110 Sikhs from Afghanistan under the rescue operation Devi Shakti carried out by the Indian Air Force and the Ministry of External affairs. President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee Manjinder Singh Sirsa has announced the arrival of the Sikhs from Kabul to New Delhi by a special flight.

Sirsa added that the Sikhs from Afghanistan will be hosted at the Gurudwara Rakabganj Sahib for the time being. He thanked PM Modi and HM Amit Shah for evacuating the stranded Sikhs from the war-torn country.

BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga also tweeted about the arrival of Sikhs from Afghanistan.

In the video shared, a Sikh man could be seen thanking the Indian government for the evacuation.

The group of 110 Sikhs and Hindus are to arrive in India on December 10. Sirsa had shared a video of the Sikhs carrying the Swaroop of the Holy Guru Granth Sahib on their head and boarding a flight to India.

Earlier, at the end of October, Afghan Sikhs trapped in Jalalabad, Ghazni and Kabul had requested the Sikh leaders and the Government of India to help them leave Afghanistan and reunite with their, family. Manjinder Singh Sirsa had then appealed to Prime Minister Modi for the rescue of Afghan Sikhs and stated that India is their only hope.

Back in August, Afghan Sikhs had brought three hand-written Swaroop of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji from Afghanistan to India. They were received at the airport by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Minister of State and V Muraleedharan, Ministry of External Affairs. The Indian Air Force had also rescued Afghanistan Member of Parliament Narender Singh Khalsa including 20 other Sikhs.

Kanpur Dehat police debunk misleading claims by Congress, others after video shows cop thrashing man with kid: Read what had really happened

OpIndia Staff
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Kanpur Dehat police debunk misleading claims by Congress, others after video shows cop thrashing man with kid: Read what had really happened

On Thursday (November 9), the police issued a statement after a video of a cop thrashing an unarmed man with a child went viral on social media. The incident took place in Akbarpur town in Kanpur Dehat region of Uttar Pradesh.

In the contentious video shared by journalist Puneet Kumar Singh, a man dressed in police uniform could be seen assaulting another man with a baton. The unarmed ‘victim’, carrying a child could be heard saying, “Baccha ko lag jayega (The child will get hurt).” In his tweet, Singh wrote, “Look at this ignorant inspector from Kanpur. The girl is wrapped in the arms of the man and the cop is wielding his baton. He is yelling that the girl will get hurt, but the inspector remained unmoved.”

The video of the incident was also shared by several Congress leaders, including Shama Mohammed and Srinivas BV.

UP Police assure appropriate action against accused policeman

In a statement, the official Twitter handle of UP Police said, “A video of Police lathi charging a man holding a child has come to light. Such conduct on the part of Police Personnel despite repeated instructions to respect the dignity of every citizen is not acceptable. Prima-Facie report from district Police reveals that some protestors had locked the OPD of the District Hospital & disrupted its services…”

It further added, “The Police was attacked when they went to restore order on the request of the Chief Medical Superintendent following which use of mild force was done which is no justification for the insensitivity by the Policeman. ADG Zone Kanpur has been directed to get the matter enquired and take appropriate action against the guilty Policemen.”

The Background of the Case

While speaking about the matter, Additional SP (Kanpur Dehat) Ghanshyam Chaurasia informed that a few miscreants were trying to shut down the OPD (Out Patient Department) of the district hospital.

He added, “In district hospital, a Grade-IV employee Rajneesh Shukla closed the OPD by spreading anarchy along with 100-150 people. They misbehaved with hospital employees and patients….Even after police tried to convince him, he did not listen to it and even locked the inspector and some police personnel in a room…Rajneesh Shukla even bit the finger of the SHO while attacking him…Light force was used to remove the miscreants.”

He added that the man, seen with the child in the viral video, is the brother of Rajneesh Shukla. Chaurasia emphasised that special attention was given to ensure that the child was not hurt. He pointed out that the man was trying to incite the crowd and had carried the child along with him. Chaurasia informed that Rajneesh Shukla had been involved in assaulting the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM).

Mamata Banerjee directs cops to restrict BSF to 15 km from border, governor says it is potentially alarming for national security

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata Banerjee directs cops to restrict BSF to 15 km from border, governor says it is potentially alarming for national security

As West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is driving a wedge between the BSF and the Bengal police and asking her police to not allow BSF personnel to enter villages without their permission, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has said that her stance is potentially alarming for federal polity and national security.

“Your (Mamata Banerjee) stance has sent disturbing signals and is potentially alarming for federal polity and national security,” Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar said in a letter shot to the Chief Minister.

Governor sent a letter in response to Chief Minister during her regular administrative review meetings issuing directives to concerned district police to ensure BSF operates within 15 km inside the international border, that too with permission of local police.

The Governor has urged her to urgently revisit directives concerning BSF as her directives are not in sync with law or the recent Union Home Ministry notification increasing the jurisdiction of the BSF in Bengal from 15 km from the border to 50 km.

“In the State having international border with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, BSF and Central Armed Police Forces play significantly well defined crucial role from the perspective of national security and containing criminal illegal activities,” he said. He said that the law and order agencies of the State and the central armed forces play their respective roles and perform their assigned duties in a coordinated and synergic manner to ensure overall safety and security.

The Governor said that hence it would not be good to create confrontation and combat amongst these agencies and State apparatus. “This imperatively calls for, in public and national interest, that your directives, instructions as also stance regarding functioning of BSF in the State be revisited so as to generate an environ of harmony and cooperation,” he said.

Mamata Banerjee asks police to check the BSF movement

Chairing an administrative review meeting at Gangarampur in Dinajpur district on December 7, the West Bengal CM had issued the instruction that BSF will be allowed to operate only within 15 km of the border, that too with police permission. Again on December 9 she chaired a meeting at Krishnanagar in Nadia district, where she ordered the district police to carry out rigorous searches at security checkpoints (naaka) and increase mobility.

She said that as the border with Bangladesh starts from Karimpur, district police will have to keep their eyes open. She directed police to ensure that the BSF doesn’t enter the border villages and carry out any activity and operation without the knowledge of local police. Stating that law and order is the state subject and the BSF should do what it is mandated to, she said that the torture of common people will be not be tolerated.

Bengal and Punjab opposed extension of BSF jurisdiction

Mamata Banerjee has been opposing the decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to extend the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force (BSF) from 15km to 50km inside the international border in West Bengal, Assam and Punjab that share their borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Although the BSF has denied any parallel policing and any encroachment on the jurisdiction of local police, the CM is ready to create a confrontation that will have a negative impact on the integrity and security of the country. She also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revoke the order.

Governor snubs CM on worrisome human rights condition in Bengal

In a fresh development, the Governor on the Human Rights Day also snubbed the Chief Minister over human rights violations in Bengal.

“Worrisome HUMAN RIGHTS violations. Only Rule of Ruler and not of law,” the Governor said. He added that a highly Politicised bureaucracy constitutes severe threat to democracy.

In the video message, the Governor said that human rights violations in Bengal are on the extreme. The administrative setup and officials act like political workers and people are so scared that they even don’t talk about this. He said that the situation is so painful that the human rights commission which is supposed to protect human rights is on a ventilator according to its chairperson.

‘I am a soldier’s wife’, ‘My father was my best friend’: Brigadier LS Lidder’s family mourns for the hero

OpIndia Staff
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‘I am a soldier’s wife’, ‘My father was my best friend’: Brigadier LS Lidder’s family mourns for the hero

Brigadier LS Lidder had lost his life in the tragic chopper crash on December 8 where CDS Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others had succumbed in the Nilgiris. The mortal remains of some of the deceased persons whose identity has been confirmed were flown to Delhi on December 9.

Ahead of the last rites for Brig LS Lidder, his wife and daughter spoke to the media.

17-year-old Aashna Lidder, the daughter of Brigadier LS Lidder said, “My father was a hero, my best friend. Maybe it was destined & better things will come our way. He was my biggest motivator…”

The young girl further said, “I am going to be 17, He was with me for 17 years. We will go ahead with happy memories.” Young Aashna said that her father was her biggest motivator and her best friend.

Mrs Geetika Lidder, the wife of Brig LS Lidder asserted that her soldier husband deserves a smiling send-off. She added that Brig Lidder was a ‘larger than life’ man and he had a lot of friends. She said she is a soldier’s wife and she has to accept the loss of her husband as god’s wish. Mrs Lidder added that the Brigadier was a very good father and her daughter is going to miss him a lot.

PM Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the 3 service chiefs had paid their respect to the fallen soldiers yesterday in Delhi after their mortal remains arrived at the Palam airbase.

Brig Lidder was the defence assistant to the Late CDS Rawat. He was commissioned in the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in 1990.

Brigadier LS Lidder was cremated today on December 10 at Delhi’s Brar Square with full military honours.

The IAF Mi17V5 helicopter had crashed in the Nilgiris near Wellington on December 8. Among the 14 passengers, CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife Mrs Madhulika Rawat, Brigadier LS Lidder, Lt Col H Singh, Naik Gursewak Singh, Naik Jitender, LN Vivek, LN Sai Teja, Havildar Satpal, WC PS Chouhan, Sqn Ldr K Singh, JWO Das, JWO Pradeep A had succumbed to fatal injuries. Group Captain Varun Singh (Shaurya Chakra) is the sole survivor of the crash who is currently struggling for life in Bengaluru.

Avoid uninformed speculation on the chopper crash: Urges Indian Air Force, says probe will be completed expeditiously

OpIndia Staff
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Avoid uninformed speculation on the chopper crash: Urges Indian Air Force, says probe will be completed expeditiously

As the tri-service inquiry into the horrific crash of IAF chopper on December 8 that killed CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others have started, the Indian Air Force has appealed to everyone to avoid uninformed speculation into the matter.

In a tweet posted by the official Twitter account of the Indian Air Force on December 10, it has been said that the inquiry into the accident would be completed expeditiously and the probe will bring out the facts related to it will. Therefore, in order to respect the dignity of the deceased, uninformed speculation may be avoided, the IAF said.

The appeal by the IAF comes after various theories related to the probe have started to appear on media and social media. Some people are seeing a conspiracy behind the crash, alleging that it was not an accident but an attack. Indian Army Brigadier Sudhir Sawant said that this is not an accident but a conspiracy, and demanded that a detailed inquiry should be done.

Several media houses ran stories asking whether the incident was an accident or conspiracy. The reports asked if Pakistan or China is behind the crash, fuelling speculations and rumours.

Others speculated that it could be due to engine failure or other technical issues, or it could be due to the fog which resulted in poor visibility.

Some people have started to question the reliability of the Russian designed Mi17 chopper, and comparing it with MiG-21 which has the record of a high number of crashes in India. However, the helicopter is not an obsolete aircraft like MiG-21 like many people are alleging. Actually, Mi17-V5 is a very modern aircraft, and all the past crashes of this helicopter in India were due to external factors like extreme weather in Himalayan terrain, collision and a missile attack.

The probe team will look into all possible angles and come with the most probable reason after a detailed investigation.

Rakshya Mantri Rajnath Singh had informed the Lok Sabha yesterday that the Indian Air Force (IAF) has ordered a tri-service inquiry into the Mi17-V5 chopper crash, which will be led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh. The inquiry team had reached the crash site at Wellington in Tamil Nadu on the day of the accident itself, and had already started the investigation.

The black box of the Mi17-V5 helicopter has already been recovered by the probe team yesterday. The black box contains the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. The analysis of the data in the box will help the probe to understand what had happened to the ill-fated helicopter carrying the Chief of Defence Staff.

Apart from the parts of the crashed chopper that will provide vital forensic information, the tri-service probe team will also have the eyewitness account of the locals who saw the crash to ascertain the cause of the crash. One local had recorded a video of the final moments of the video, which showed the helicopter flying through dense fog with very low visibility. Reportedly, the person who had recorded the video had already appeared before the Coimbatore city police for inquiry.

The person said that the whole area was veiled by a thick fog, and they heard a loud sound around 10 minutes after capturing the chopper on video.

Allahabad HC quashes FIRs against makers of Mirzapur, including Farhan Akhtar

OpIndia Staff
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Allahabad HC quashes FIRs against makers of Mirzapur, including Farhan Akhtar

The Allahabad High Court on Friday quashed the FIR against Farhan Akhar and Ritesh Sidhwani, producers of the web series Mirzapur. The FIR had alleged that the show hurt religious, social and regional sentiments through their portrayal of the town of Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh in the web series. The division bench also quashed the FIRs against Karan Anshuman, Gurmeet Singh, Puneet Krishna and Vineet Krishna who had written and directed two seasons of the show Mirzapur.

The FIR had been registered under Sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or reli­gious beliefs), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

In challenging the FIR, the petitioners had said that the show was purely a word of fiction. They pointed out to the disclaimer at the beginning of every episode that said that it was purely fictional and that the makers respected all religions.

FIR registered against Mirzapur for hurting religious sentiments 

A team of Uttar Pradesh police arrived in Mumbai to investigate the FIR against ‘Mirzapur’ on Thursday. The case was lodged, following a complaint by one Arvind Chaturvedi, who said that the web series hurt his religious sentiments, displayed abusive content, promoted enmity in the society and presented the district of Mirzapur in poor light.

Gurugram: Opposition to Namaz in public places gains momentum, Hindus openly declare they would disrupt all such gatherings from Dec 10

OpIndia Staff
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Gurugram: Opposition to Namaz in public places gains momentum, Hindus openly declare they would disrupt all such gatherings from Dec 10

The movement being carried out against Namaz at public places in Gurugram, Haryana, is far from over. On December 9, Thursday, Muslim groups like Muslim Ekta Manch in the city have reiterated their obstinacy to offer namaz on Friday at all 37 objected public grounds which have been occupied to offer namaz despite people facing problems. On the other hand, the Hindu outfits have also reiterated their resolve to strictly oppose the offering of Namaz at these public places from December 10 onwards.

The Gurugram Police and the district administration are on high alert due to the potential for a crisis to erupt as a result of this impasse.

Hindu Sangharsh Samiti president Mahavir Bharadwaj said that for the last three months Hindu outfits and the local residents of Gurugram’s Sector-47, 12A, Sector-18 and now Sector-37, have been opposing the illegal occupation of public places by Muslims to offer their religious prayers. According to Bharadwaj, from December 10 onwards, the Hindu Sangharsh Samiti will not allow Muslims to offer Namaz in any of the open places which they have been attempting to encroach on in recent months.

He said that the district administration have been given a forewarning that if the Muslims attempt to again encroach public spaces to offer Namaz on December 10, they would face strong resistance from members of the Hindu outfits. The resentment against arbitrary detainment of those who tried to stop the Muslims from offering Namaz in Sector 37 last Friday (December 3), was also conveyed to the district administration.

It may be interesting to note here that while the Muslim National Forum and the clerics of the Gurugram Imam organisation in a memorandum submitted to the district administration on Monday decided that the Friday prayers will be held at 6 places on the land of the masjids, madrasas and Waqf Board. Haji Shahzad of Gurugram Muslim Council and Muslim Ekta Manch have insisted that they will go to offer prayers at those 37 objected open places in the city.

Meanwhile, openly throwing a challenge at the Muslims trying to offer Juma namaaz in open spaces in the city, the Hindu Sangharsh Samiti said that all such attempts would be disrupted from December 10, onwards.

The Gurugram Police and the district administration, which have been openly supporting the Muslims to encroach public spaces in the city on the pretext of offering their religious prayers have said they have beefed up the security to avoid any untoward incident in the city.

Yash Garg, the deputy commissioner, Gurugram, said no one will be allowed to disturb peace in the city, and take law and order into their hands. Gurugram Police said at least five police stations were “on alert” and have been assigned duties for Friday.

“We have elaborate security arrangements and will ensure the safety and security of people offering namaz,” Garg said.

Residents in Gurugram Sector 37 chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ to protest as Muslims again gather in a public space to offer Namaz, police detain Hindus

On December 3, local residents and members of various Hindu organisations were once again compelled to launch a protest after a large number of Muslims turned at the public ground in Sector 37 of Gurugram to offer Friday namaz.

Videos have surfaced where the Hindus are seen chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Vande Matram’ slogans as they protest against the Namazis who reached the public ground to offer their Friday namaz. The Gurugram police, instead of stopping the Muslims from offering Namaz in the open space are seen physically removing the Hindus from the ground. The police are seen pushing and creating a human chain in order to keep the protestors away from obstructing the Muslims from offering Namaz.

According to reports, the Gurugram police had detained nearly 50 people who tried to stop the Muslims from offering Namaz in Sector 37 on December 3.

Opposition to the illegal occupation of public places by Muslims to offer their religious prayers is steadily gaining momentum. For weeks now, conscientious locals have pushed back against Muslims who have resorted to indulging in communal praying in public places instead of designated places of worship. 

Yogi Adityanath sounds poll bugle, says confident of winning 350 plus seats in UP elections: Here is everything he said in a recent interview

OpIndia Staff
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Yogi Adityanath sounds poll bugle, says confident of winning 350 plus seats in UP elections: Here is everything he said in a recent interview

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is confident about BJP getting 350 plus seats in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election scheduled next year.

As the ground scenario and initial surveys suggest the return of the Yogi Raj, CM Yogi said that any attempt of communal polarisation by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav who now invokes Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and election tourism of Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra won’t help them to gain ground in UP.

Yogi Adityanath said that the development of UP and better law-and-order remained his priority and he doesn’t see any challenger around him.

In an interview given to News18.com Yogi Adityanath said that he is confident about the BJP repeating historic victory in UP because of the work done by his government.

UP no more a Bimaru state now known for the development

Yogi is indifferent to the legend that no party in UP has returned to power for the second consecutive term. He said that the voters of UP would bless the BJP for the second consecutive term as his government fulfilled every promise made during the 2017 assembly election.  

He said that UP has shed the tag of ‘Bimaru’ state and is now known for its development across sectors. He said that UP plays a pivotal role in making India a global economic superpower.

Taking about his tenure, Yogi said that for the past four-and-a-half years, his government worked for the betterment of the state and its 24 crore citizens. The government has taken care of every section of the society including farmers, women and the poorest of the poor.

He reminded in 2017 his government had waived farm loans worth Rs 36,000 crore under the waiver scheme. This benefitted around 21 million farmers of UP.

“The work we have done for our state and our people is what gives us confidence that the BJP will win 350 seats in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election,” Yogi Adityanath said.

Change of face of UP through Reform, Perform and Transform

Yogi said that right after in 2017 he took charge of UP, his government focussed on ‘Reform, Perform and Transform’ that globally changed people’s perception about UP.

The state gained the confidence of industrialists and investors as the law-and-order situation was improved. The BJP government made stringent laws and came down heavily upon the crime syndicates which previously harassed industrialists.

Yogi pointed out that due to stringent laws and improved law-and-order situation a positive environment was created for business activities. And this is the reason that global brands like Samsung, Reliance, Microsoft among others, are moving to UP to set up industries.

In the last four-and-a-half years, UP has attracted investment of almost Rs 11 lakh crore across sectors, out of which almost Rs 5 lakh crore is in the heavy industries and another Rs 5 lakh crore in the MSME sector. It has ensured jobs for more than 3 million youth in UP.

A ‘Naya Uttar Pradesh’ under Yogi Raj

Yogi said that in terms of ease of doing business, UP has made a quantum leap. Among the states, it is now at the second position by making an amazing jump of 12 positions in the last four-and-a-half years.

Yogi said that even amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic activities of UP did not stop. Even during the pandemic UP received investment proposals worth Rs 66,000 crore. UP has now become the second-largest state of India in terms of Gross State Domestic Product. According to the report of the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy, the unemployment rate of UP is now 4.8 per cent which is far better when compared with Delhi, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

UP such a big state had only a dozen medical colleges before 2017. Yogi said that UP is on the way to creating a new record with medical colleges coming up in every district. Nine new medical colleges are already operational. Foundation stone for 14 more has been laid and 16 are in the process of being set up in PPP mode.

Yogi on his bulldozer remark

In Yogi Raj bulldozer is seen as an instrument to assert the authority of the law and to protect land properties of law-abiding citizens as well as government properties from mafias. He had said in public that bulldozer is the only treatment (answer) for those who capture government properties as well as innocent civilians. Akhilesh Yadav has long been criticising and mocking the Yogi government even at a personal level for the use of a bulldozer.

Yogi said that Akhilesh Yadav has a problem with the bulldozer out of his (Akhilesh) sympathy and support to criminals, gangsters and mafias who harassed the poor and grabbed land. He said that the previous government had different priorities and always supported mafias to save his chair.

Yogi said that his government uses bulldozers against the corrupt, criminals and gangsters whereas Akhilesh Yadav had given a free hand to criminals who harassed poor, industrialists and businessmen.

UP faced consequences of such lawlessness as investors and industrialists withdrew, per capita income and growth rate kept dropping with rising unemployment rate. Prior to 2017, the unemployment rate of UP was above 18 percent.

The situation has turned 360 degrees now

“Things are different now as we have turned the situation 360 degrees,” said Yogi as his government took tough action against the mafias as part of zero tolerance policy.

Yogi said since the Samajwadi Party didn’t do anything, Akhilesh Yadav and his party are trying to protect the mafias to get their support.

No place for mafias in UP representing Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat

Yogi minces no word that his government has taken actions against mafias and even didn’t hesitate to act against alleged powerful mafias and leaders like Mukhtar Ansari and Azam Khan. The message is loud enough to be heard that mafias will not be spared.

Yogi responds to Akhilesh’s allegation on Purvanchal Expressway

As Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the Yogi government only carried forward projects of the previous government, Yogi said Akhilesh Yadav did a stunt on the name of development.

“Sanctioning token amounts for a project two months prior to the elections and not approving the tender and leaving the project halfway doesn’t merit any claim to their point,” he said.

Yogi informed that his government carried a fresh appraisal of the Purvanchal Expressway project which is India’s longest expressway network of approximately 1,321 km. The cost of the project was brought down via a new tender and executed the project within the time frame.

Road network and transport

Yogi government won appreciation for overall development including improvement in the road network. The 341 km stretch of Purvanchal Expressway has become operational. The government is building three more highways namely the 296 km Bundelkhand Expressway, 91 km Gorakhpur Link Expressway and 594 km Ganga Expressway.

UDAN scheme of the central government four Metros and nine airports have been completed. “Work is in progress on 28 other airports,” he said.

Special scheme for developmental of Purvanchal

Purvanchal is a geographic sub-region of Uttar Pradesh that roughly covers 17 districts of UP where the BJP is in a strong position. However, after Om Prakash Rajbhar joined hands with Akhilesh Yadav some political experts claimed that it would come as a setback for the BJP.

But Yogi dismissed such apprehensions and said that people hardly trust a blackmailer like Rajbhar who believes Jinnah deserved to become PM of India.

He said that the people of Purvanchal always want development and the previous government neglected this region. But the BJP government has done a tremendous job when it comes to development of Purvanchal.

For instance, the health infrastructure was improved to control Japanese Encephalitis that caused the death of thousands of children every year. AIIMS has been established in Gorakhpur which has benefitted the entire Purvanchal region. Besides, the Purvanchal Expressway will bring development.

UP’s Covid-19 management and vaccination drive globally acclaimed  

Even if the Congress and the Samajwadi Party have shot aimlessly and baselessly on Yogi for poor Covid management, UP is getting global appreciation for Covid-19 management. In terms of testing and vaccination, UP is in the top position in India, he said.

Yogi said that his government has set a target to administer the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to 100 per cent eligible beneficiaries by the third week of December. To achieve this, a target of administering 15 to 20 lakh doses has been set for every day and vaccination work will continue till 10 pm in every district.

He reminded how opposition leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav MP from Azamgarh, did not visit any place or family during the entire Covid-19 pandemic. He criticised Akhilesh Yadav is putting the lives of others in peril by not taking the vaccine.

Nobody will be spared in Lakhimpur Kheri firing incident

During the course of the farmers’ protest, eight people died after BJP workers were attacked by protesting farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri of Uttar Pradesh. Yogi called the incident unfortunate and said instructed police to bring to justice those responsible for the same.

Yogi said that government would never shield anyone. Within 24 hours of the incident, the government quickly defused the situation. A Special Investigative Team (SIT) was formed and the Supreme Court appointed a retired justice of the High Court to monitor the situation. Besides, the government also compensated the families of all those who died in the incident.

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