Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday termed the upcoming urban body elections as the "Deva-Asura Sangram", a battle between the gods and their enemies, and said it is necessary to teach the corrupt and the mafia a lesson.
Addressing an election meeting ahead of the state-wide civic polls on May 4 and 11, the chief minister assured the development of the sacred Naimisharanya site in Sitapur.
"Naimisharanya will undergo a facelift on the lines of Kashi, Ayodhya and Mathura. After Naimisharanya's rejuvenation, religious tourism will create employment opportunities in every sector," he said in Sitapur.
Adityanath also addressed meetings in Lakhimpur Kheri and Balrampur as part of the campaign.
He compared the civic polls to the war between the gods and the demons.
"In this land of Naimisharanya, Maharishi Dadhichi once donated his bones to make weapons for the victory of the divine forces,” he said, adding the elections provided an opportunity to teach a lesson to the corrupt and the criminals who flourished under the previous regimes in the state.
The BJP has been attacking the opposition Samajwadi Party for allegedly giving patronage to criminals when it was in power.
At another meeting, the CM said before 2017, when the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh, there was hooliganism in the state and a “goonda tax” collected from traders.
But now nobody has the courage to demand it, he said.
"Basic facilities will start to reach every home as soon as the ‘third engine’ joins the ‘double-engine government,” he said, referring to the BJP governments already in UP and at the Centre.
“The benefits of the government's schemes will be made available to everyone without discrimination,” Adityanath added.
In Lakhimpur Kheri, he said along with facilities like four-lane roads, technical education, the area will soon have a medical college and its airstrip developed into an airport.
Lakhimpur will serve as a hub of ecotourism, which will open new avenues for the region’s development, he said.
He claimed only the BJP reached out to people during the Covid pandemic.
"We also provided a free ration facility. Whether it is welfare schemes for the poor or the infrastructure, we have taken care of everything," he said.
Votes polled in the two-phase election will be counted on May 13.