BJPs prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for the first time attacked UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav,saying the Naujawan Mukhyamantri (young CM) of UP was more concerned to develop a Lion Safari instead of providing livelihood to the poor in the state. Modi also said Akhilesh had little understanding of the basic needs of common man. He said a few months ago he had received a letter from the UP Chief Minister seeking lions from Gir for the Lion Safari project. The UP CM probably felt that Modi roars like lion and if he gets lions from me,he will also start roaring like a lion, Modi said. He said the previous UP CM (Mayawati) had affection for elephants while the present CM loved lions. Modi added,I gave him lions. But I feel it would have been better had he asked for Gir cows which could have given livelihood to farmers. Or,he could have asked for electricity from Gujarat for UP villages. He could also have asked about the network of Amul dairy to help dairy farmers here. But he did not ask for these things. That demands a vision to understand the interest of common man, Modi said. UP has taken two pairs of lions from Gujarat for Lion Safari SP president Mulayam Singh Yadavs dream project that is coming up on 150 hectares in his home district of Etawah. A fund of Rs 25 crore has been allotted for the project by the Akhilesh Yadav government. Without taking Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchans name,Modi said the SP used the mahan kalakar to attract voters with the jingle UP me hai dum to win elections. We,on the other hand,used that great actor in our campaign Kuch din to bitao Gujarat mein. That actor came to Gujarat to work for tourism and the tourism sector is looking up there because of him, Modi said. Modi also said his government showed how to use the resources in the interest of nation and not for politics. I use resources for development. But UP has not learnt it so far. Rulers here are concerned only about their families,power and politics. They are not concerned about the states development, Modi said. Modi said he had heard that home districts of UP CM and a Khan sahab (Azam Khan) get electricity round-the-clock while the rest of the state get s it for limited hours. An ideal administrator provides facilities first to public and uses the leftover for himself, Modi remarked. About the Muzaffarnagar riots,Modi alleged that the UP government tried to defame the BJP by sending its two MLAs to jail on baseless charges. When the government could not prove the charges before the judiciary,Modi said,it added more allegations against him but the MLA was released. Modi also said the UP government was not putting real culprits in jail and arrested innocents for vote bank politics. Modi added there was a competition going on between the SP and BSP to induct criminals and make money. Modi said that SP and BSP were not serious about UPs development. Both these parties are supporting the UPA government. Why dont they ask the Centre to introduce a train from Bahraich or develop an airport here, Modi said. Modi said both UP and Madhya Pradesh were BIMARU states but the Shivaraj Singh Chauhan government has developed his state in the 10 years. There is electricity in villages,water for irrigation in farms,employment for youths and roads. Development rate of MP has increased to 11 per cent, Modi said. Todays rally was in Awadh region where sugarcane is the main crop. Raising the issue of sugarcane farmers,Modi said sugarcane prices worth Rs 6,000 crore are due for payment to farmers here. Modi said,There are co-operative sugar mills in Gujarat that start operation after Vijaya Dashmi. But in UP mill owners are yet to start operation of mills even after Diwali, Modi said. The Security ring * ATS commandos,police,PAC personnel deployed on approach roads to the rally ground,within a radius of four km. * Half a dozen barricades erected around rally ground * Shops in vicinity closed till the rally ended at 3:30 pm * Door Framed Metal Detectors (DFMD) at all entry points * People frisked at least four times * Match boxes,cigarattes/beedi,food items not allowed.
