Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said the state had moved away from the politics of “appeasement” and “fatwas” to a model focused on development and public welfare.
He also said the recent election results in West Bengal had exposed forces trying to weaken the country’s social fabric through caste-based and divisive politics.
The chief minister was addressing a large public gathering at Deoband in Saharanpur district where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 325 development projects worth ₹2,131 crore.
“Earlier, government funds were spent on cemetery boundary walls, illegal encroachments and caste-communal appeasement. Today, the same money is being used for roads, universities, sports colleges, RCC drains, expressways and the development of religious and tourism sites,” the chief minister said.
He referred to Saharanpur’s past communal tensions and said the district had witnessed repeated riots between 2013 and 2016, but the law-and-order situation had since improved significantly under the current government.
“’Fatwas’ and regressive practices had tarnished the image of Deoband. But after the formation of the double-engine government in 2017, Saharanpur acquired a new identity,” he said, citing projects such as the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, the Ganga Expressway, a proposed airport, industrial and logistics hubs, and the redevelopment of Maa Shakambhari Dham.
“Earlier, ‘fatwas’ were issued from Deoband on every small matter, even on how people should eat food. We decided that neither individual freedom nor national security should be compromised and immediately established an ATS centre here,” he said.
He asserted that anyone attempting to challenge law and order in Uttar Pradesh would face strict consequences.
“No anti-national element will be spared. Whoever tries to breach security or play with the future of youth will have to face consequences,” he said.
The chief minister also said that insulting “Vande Mataram” had now been brought under the category of cognisable offences.
“It cannot be accepted that someone lives in India, eats India’s food and sings praises of the enemy,” he said.
Referring to the mandate in Bengal, he said it reflected the public’s preference for development, good governance and decisive leadership.
He said the re-election of BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand (in 2022) and the party coming to power in West Bengal for the first time now had demonstrated that voters reward governments which remain connected with the people, respect public sentiment, and ensure the benefits of welfare schemes reach every section of society without discrimination.
At the same time, he warned that governments which fail to fulfil promises are eventually removed by voters.
Adityanath said the projects launched on Thursday included 184 completed works worth ₹500 crore and foundation stones for 141 projects worth ₹1,631 crore covering Behat, Rampur Maniharan, Saharanpur city, Saharanpur rural, Nakur, Gangoh and Deoband areas.
The chief minister also distributed certificates to beneficiaries of several government schemes.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had strengthened regional infrastructure through projects such as the Delhi-Meerut Rapid Rail and the nearly 600-km-long Ganga Expressway between Meerut and Prayagraj.
He added that these projects would significantly reduce travel time, allowing residents of Saharanpur to reach Lucknow in nearly six hours and Prayagraj in around seven-and-a-half hours.
Several ministers, MLAs and BJP leaders were also present at the event.
(With agency inputs)
