Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said despite being born in Gujarat he had chosen Uttar Pradesh as his land of vocation, drawing a parallel with Lord Krishna who was born in Uttar Pradesh but made Gujarat his ‘karma bhoomi’.
The Prime Minister said he was an adopted son of Uttar Pradesh and vowed not to ditch the people of the state. He also took a dig at Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav over his rift with father Mulayam Singh Yadav.
“Lord Krishna was born in UP but made Gujarat his workplace. I was born in Gujarat & UP adopted me. UP is like my parents and I am not a son who will leave his parents,” he said. “Be it Cong, SP or BSP, no one thought about the development of Uttar Pradesh,” he added.
“Despite being an adopted son, it is my duty to develop Uttar Pradesh,” Modi said while addressing an election rally here in Uttar Pradesh.
Hardoi votes on Sunday in the third phase of the staggered elections to chose a new government in the country’s most populous state.
“Uttar Pradesh has become notorious for maximum number of gangrapes in the country. It has also become infamous for the highest murder rate in the country. The deeds of the SP speak for itself,” he added.
Claiming that the country can progress only if UP develops, Modi added, “I realise the problems of the poor as I have lived through poverty. I have taken the responsibility of bringing change in their lives.”
Citing exit polls, Modi said that BJP would definitely form the government in the state, and also promised that the BJP government would waive off farm loans in the first cabinet meeting after BJP government is formed.
Hitting out at the Samajwadi Party government, he said, “Police take permission from SP workers to lodge a case. Can any political party’s office be at police stations?”
PM said development of India depends on the development of Uttar Pradesh, but neither the SP nor the Congress or BSP thought about the state’s development.
“Agar Uttar Pradesh, Bihar se gareebi gayi to maan lijiye Hindustan se gareebi gayi (If poverty can be removed from Uttar Ptadesh and Bihar, it is gone from India),” he said.
Assailing Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for “doing nothing” for farmers in this largely agrarian state, the PM said only 14 per cent peasants of the state get the benefits of Bima Yojna for which the funding comes from the Centre.
Invoking the ISRO success, Modi said “There is no any television or newspaper in the world which did not praise India’s scientists yesterday for launching record 104 satellites.”
