Nature has a way of settling scores: Yogi Adityanath on Atiq Ahmad's turf

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday appeared to invoke nature as a great leveller - a force that delivers justice - saying that the land of Prayagraj does not tolerate atrocities and nature does justice with all who do injustice. "Some people had turned Prayagraj, where people suffering from injustice and atrocities come with a desire for justice, into a land of injustice and atrocities," Adityanath said addressing an election meeting on what once was the home turf of slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad.

"But this nature doesn’t commit an atrocity on anyone, nor does it accept an atrocity. It settles scores for everyone," he said, without naming anyone.

Adityanath was at Leader Road Press ground in Lukerganj here to garner support for BJP candidates in fray for urban local bodies’ polls.

READ | Two Atiq, Ashraf shooters used 4 SIM cards, third avoided phone: SIT

This was Adityanath's first visit to Prayagraj after the murders of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his younger brother Khalid Azeem aka Ashraf.

Quoting the Ramcharitmanas, he said, "Karm pradhan vishwa rachi rakha, jo jas karihe so tas phal chakha (the universe is based on deeds, as you sow, so shall you reap)."

"Before 2017, people used to tremble with fear during festivals, but today there is happiness in UP. Today, everything is fine in UP… there is no curfew and no rioting in the state. This happened because of the government’s zero tolerance policy towards criminals," he said addressing the gathering at the ground located three kilometres from Chakia, the ancestral home of Atiq.

READ | Yogi jabs opposition ahead of UP civic polls: ‘Bhai-behen gave guns…’

He said those who used to grab properties of the poor and extorted money from traders have been forced to surrender to the law. "Today, the state traders' welfare board is giving a security insurance of ₹10 lakh to traders."

The CM said the BJP government was committed to the empowerment of people belonging to every section of society and did not believe in 'divisive politics of appeasement practiced by the opposition parties'. The government was moving forward with the basic principle of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, he asserted.

"Opposition parties did appeasement politics, which naturally involved discrimination and created divisions in society, but we worked for development of all. Today, UP is achieving new heights under the guidance of PM Modi by moving forward with a nationalist thinking, shedding dynastic and casteist mentality," asserted Adityanath.

On the changed atmosphere in UP, he said UP would be known for being the hub of IT skills in future rather than for its 'kattas' (country-made guns).

Urging people to vote for the BJP’s mayoral candidate Umesh Chandra Ganesh Kesarwani, Yogi said the double engine government of the BJP was providing free treatment to people under Ayushman Bharat Yojana, houses to the destitute under the PM Awas Yojana, toilets under Swachhata Mission and LPG cylinders under the Ujjwala scheme. Clean drinking water was also being provided in villages under the 'Har Ghar Nal scheme' of Jal Jeevan Mission, he added.

Prayagraj Municipal Corporation polls will be held in the first phase on May 4. The second phase of the urban local body polls will be held on May 11 and the counting of votes will be done on May 13.

He said the government fulfilled its promise of providing 24-hour electricity and removed darkness from villages, streets, and houses.

Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, UP cabinet ministers Nand Gopal Gupta 'Nandi' and Swatantra Dev Singh, former UP cabinet minister Sidharth Nath Singh, MPs Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Keshari Devi Patel and Vinod Sonkar were among those present at the public meeting.

Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot dead by three men, who posed as media persons, when they were being taken to a Prayagraj hospital for medical check-up under police escort on April 15. Ahmad was among those accused of killing Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 murder case of BSP MLA Raju Pal.