During his visit, Modi will lay the foundation stones of development projects worth over Rs 42,750 crore, including the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway and a PGI satellite centre, in Ferozepur.(File)UP Assembly Election 2022 Highlights: Laying the foundation stone of the ambitious Ganga Expressway project in Shahjahanpur on Saturday, PM Narendra Modi praised UP CM Yogi Adityanath for “eliminating” mafias and taking up development work. Modi said now people are saying, “UP plus Yogi bahut hai upyogi” (Uttar Pradesh plus Yogi have great utility).
He further said that poor law and order triggered an exodus of people from Uttar Pradesh earlier, but during the past 4.5 years bulldozers have razed unauthorised properties of mafias, causing pain to those patronising them. The 594-kilometre expressway — one of the longest in the country — will open new doors for Uttar Pradesh’s development, PM Modi said.
Meanwhile, speaking at Amethi, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “Middle-class people and the poor were badly affected by some of the decisions taken by the Prime Minister, which also resulted in large-scale unemployment. Demonetisation, wrongly implicated GST, no help during the Covid crisis are the major reasons for unemployment in India,” said Gandhi while speaking at Amethi. He added, “You are aware of the situation today. Unemployment and inflation are the biggest questions that neither the CM nor PM will answer. PM was taking a dip in Ganga a few days back but won’t talk about unemployment.” Later, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra led the ‘Jan Jagran Abhiyan’ Padyatra in Amethi.
Also hitting out at the BJP, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav said that the I-T department raids at the residences of his close aides on Saturday were the result of the ruling BJP fearing defeat in the upcoming polls. “The more the BJP’s fear of defeat increases, the round of raids on the opposition will also increase, yet the chariot of the SP and every program will continue unabated,” he tweeted.
This comes after the Income Tax department on Saturday morning conducted searches at the Mau residence of Samajwadi Party (SP) national secretary Rajeev Rai, a close aide of party chief Akhilesh Yadav. “I have no criminal background or black money. I help people and the government didn’t like it. This is a result of that,’ Rai told news agency ANI. The residences of two other aides of Yadav were also searched this morning.
Lucknow: Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditiyanath attend 7th Rashtriya Adhivesan of Sahkar Bharti, in Lucknow, Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. (PTI)
“Congress will waive off loans for all farmers and small businessmen, half the electricity bills, give employment to 20 lakh youth and Rs 25,000 to all the families who suffered due to Covid. This govt has caused you enough suffering,” says Congress Gen Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Amethi. (ANI)
“Six 'Jan Vishwas Yatras' from six different locations, namely Bijnor, Mathura, Jhansi, Ghazipur, Ambedkar Nagar and Ballia, will be starting from Ambedkar Nagar, December 19 onwards,” says BJP UP president Swatantra Dev Singh in Lucknow
He adds, “The first yatra will begin in Ambedkar Nagar and end in Lucknow's Kakori; second yatra from Mathura to Bareilly, third from Jhansi to Kanpur, fourth from Bijnor to Rampur, fifth from Ballia to Siddharthnagar, & sixth from Ghazipur to Sultanpur.” (ANI)
Asaduddin Owaisi says, “Now the Centre has raised the legal age of marriage for women to 21. As per law, you can maintain sexual relations with a woman at the age of 18, but can't marry her at 18 years of age? What's PM Modi's problem with marriage?”
He adds, “Now BJP will say Owaisi & Muslims don't talk for the benefit of women. Modi Ji, when did you become our uncle? 'Uncles' just sit around & ask questions, now, the 'uncle' is saying don't marry.” (ANI)
“UP's 19% Muslims need their own political strength, leadership and participation, to get respect, education for our youth and to stop tortures and discrimination. When will Muslims wake up?” says AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi at a public rally in Meerut
He adds, “MoS Home Teni conspired and as a result, his son killed 4 farmers. But PM Modi doesn't remove Teni because he doesn't want to upset the Brahmin society of UP.” (ANI)
“I will tell you the meaning of Hindu. It's someone who only follows the path of truth, the one who never gives up to fear, and the one who never converts his fear into violence, hate and anger... Its best example is Mahatma Gandhi,” says Rahul Gandhi.
“Mahatma Gandhi spent all his life understanding truth and then there is Godse, a 'Hindutvavadi'. Nobody calls him (Godse) a Mahatma because he killed a Hindu who always spoke the truth...Godse was a coward, a weak man... he could not face his fears.” (ANI)
Leading a march in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi, his former Lok Sabha constituency, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Saturday launched a stinging attack on the BJP government and said that decisions such as demonetisation, poor implementation of the GST and mishandling of the Covid-19 crisis have piled misery on the poor. Read more
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday said poor law and order triggered exodus of people from Uttar Pradesh earlier, but during the past 4.5 years bulldozers have razed unauthorised properties of mafias, causing pain to those patronising them.
Praising Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for "eliminating" mafias and taking up development work, Modi said now people are saying, "UP plus Yogi bahut hai upyogi" (Uttar Pradesh plus Yogi have great utility)”. (PTI)
Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi lead the 'Jan Jagran Abhiyan' Padyatra in Amethi.
“I came into politics in 2004. Amethi was the city where I contested my first election. People of Amethi have taught me a lot about politics. You have shown me the way to politics and I want to thank each and everyone from Amethi,” says Rahul Gandhi. (ANI)
“Middle-class people and the poor were badly affected by some of the decisions taken by the PM, which also resulted in large-scale unemployment. Demonetization, wrongly implicated GST, no help during the Covid crisis are the major reasons for unemployment in India,” says senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Amethi.
He adds, “You are aware of the situation today. Unemployment and inflation are the biggest questions that neither the CM nor PM will answer. PM was taking a dip in Ganga a few days back but won't talk about unemployment. I'll tell you why the youth is deprived of employment.” (ANI)
“Yogi ji was saying that in Kashi, Modi ji offered prayers to Lord Shiva and then worshipped workers, soon after. They were felicitated with showering of flower petals. You came to know this as there was a camera. But our govt works for poor day and night,” says PM Modi.
Some political parties have a problem with the country's development, PM Modi said. "Problem with the heritage of the country because they worry more about their vote bank. Problem with the development of the country because the dependence of the poor and common human beings on them is decreasing day by day."
PM Modi said: "When the whole of UP grows together, the country progresses. Therefore, the focus of the government of double engine is on the development of UP."
The day is not far when Uttar Pradesh will be reconised as the country's most modern state with next-generation infrastructure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
"The network of expressways in UP, the new airports being built, new rail routes being laid down are bringing several blessings to people of UP simultaneously," he added.
PM Narendra Modi: "The modern infrastructure that is being built in UP today shows how the resources are used properly. You have seen very well what has been used for public money earlier. But today the money of Uttar Pradesh is being invested in the development of Uttar Pradesh."
Listing out the many benefits of the new expressway, PM Modi said: "First boon - saving people's time. Second boon- Increase in convenience of people, increase in convenience. Third boon- Proper use of resources of UP. Fourth boon- Increase in the power of UP. Fifth boon - all-round prosperity in UP."
Laying the foundation stone for the new Ganga Expressway project, PM Modi said: "Maa Ganga is the source of all auspiciousness and all progress. Maa Ganga gives all the happiness, and takes away all the pain. Similarly, Ganga Expressway will also open new doors for UP's progress."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday laid the foundation stone of the ambitious Ganga Expressway project in Shahjahanpur district in Uttar Pradesh. The expressway — one of the longest in the country — will pass through twelve districts to connect western and eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Look at the key features of the Ganga Expressway project:
? The 594-kilometre expressway will span across the districts of Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj. It will start from Bijauli village in Meerut and end near Prayagraj’s Judapur Dandu.
? The estimated cost of the greenfield expressway is around Rs 36,200 crore.
? Six lanes will be built in the first phase of construction. It is expandable up to eight lanes.
? The expressway will go through 140 rivers and water bodies.
? The project was undertaken by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), which roped in IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd for constructing it. Read the full report here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Shahjahanpur on Saturday afternoon to lay the foundation stone of the ambitious Ganga Expressway project. The 594-kilometre expressway — one of the longest in the country — will boost connectivity between western and eastern UP. It would span over the districts of Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj. It would start from Bijauli village in Meerut and would end near Prayagraj’s Judapur Dandu.
The Income Tax Department Saturday conducted searches at the Mau residence of Samajwadi Party (SP) national secretary Rajiv Rai. The houses of two other SP leaders – Manoj Yadav in Mainpuri and Jainendra Yadav in Lucknow – were also raided.
While talking to reporters outside his home, Rai said, “They came to conduct a raid, and I said that they should do it… The procedure is ongoing. They have told me they are holding raids in Bangalore too, and at the houses of people I know. If this is not political, then what is! I have not committed any crime. I have a clean criminal record, and I have no business in Uttar Pradesh. They are seeing my mobile phone… I have nothing to hide and I am not scared. I challenge them to do raids at other places, where Amit Shah’s people live.” Notably, Rai had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Ghosi unsuccessfully. Rai appealed to his workers to not raise slogans or create any ruckus outside his house in Mau. Read the full report here.
Hitting out at the BJP, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said that the recent I-T department raids at the residence of his close aides were the result of the ruling BJP fearing defeat in the upcoming polls. “The more the BJP’s fear of defeat increases, the round of raids on the opposition will also increase, yet the chariot of the SP and every program will continue unabated,” he tweeted.
The Income Tax department also searched the residence of Jainendra Yadav, believed to be another close aide of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.
An income tax raid was conducted at the residence of Rajeev Rai, the national secretary of the Samajwadi Party (SP). “I have no criminal background or black money. I help people and the government didn’t like it. This is a result of that,” Rai told ANI.
A new book chronicles how Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath transformed the state in various aspects like law and order, connectivity, education, health infrastructure, and overall growth.
Written by author Shantanu Gupta, "The Monk Who Transformed Uttar Pradesh: How Yogi Aditynath Changed UP Waala Bhaiya' abuse to a Badge of Honour", is published by Garuda Prakashan. The author has previously written "The Monk Who Became Chief Minister: The definitive biography of Yogi Adityanath" telling the BJP leader's journey of becoming a politician.
"My last book of Yogi Adityanath was largely about his life journey from being born in the hills of Uttarakhand to becoming a Nath Panthi saint, to becoming a parliamentarian and then taking oath as the CM of Uttar Pradesh. This book will take-off from there and dive into his chief ministerial tenure," writes Gupta in the book. (ANI)
Mrinal Pande writes: Kabir’s ghost is still alive in the lanes of Kashi, where pilgrims from all over swirl in, searching for moksha, freedom from all earthly ties. Swallowed up again and again by totalitarian regimes, Kashi still knows how to reflect upon the deeper ironies of the human situation.
The humble weaver Kabir’s cryptic, profound, but irreverent verses mirror Kashi’s soul as no historian can. With utter love and irreverence known only to those who fear none, Kabir sings of human love and the utter degradation of the system humans surround themselves with. No one knows who Kabir’s parents were. His freedom from the past and any known caste or religion make him a perfect fit for Kashi. “Jo Kabira Kashi marey, Ramhin kaun nihora?” (If Kabir will seek to die in Kashi, who’ll look after the true Lord?) he asks, tongue in cheek, of the rich and famous. His reasoning is strictly defined by the authoritarian and tyrannical situation a low-caste man like him finds himself in. Read the full Opinion here.
Mayors of over 100 cities of the country will visit Ayodhya and pay their obeisance at the Ram Janmabhoomi and Hanumangarhi temples, an official said on Friday. The mayors' visit to the temple town follows within days after the visits of the chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of 12 BJP-ruled states early this week.
They included those of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Gujarat, Haryana, Goa, Bihar, Nagaland & Arunachal Pradesh. (PTI)
Visuals from BJP's 'Sarkar Banao, Adhikar Pao' rally in Lucknow with the new ally NISHAD party.
Opposition parties worked only for particular castes when they were in power, says Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday attacked opposition parties, claiming that they worked only for particular castes when they were in power in Uttar Pradesh. Shah made the remarks while addressing a 'Sarkar Banao, Adhikar Pao' rally in Lucknow with the BJP's new ally NISHAD party.
THE Samajwadi Party (SP) and BSP, the two main challengers of the BJP in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, on Friday attacked the Modi government over The Indian Express that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra and the two Election Commissioners, Rajiv Kumar and Anup Chandra Pandey, joined an “interaction” called by the Prime Minister’s Office on November 16 despite reservations.
SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said his party will seek more details about the Election Commission’s “interaction” with the PMO. Calling the “interaction”, held online, “a big question on the objectivity and integrity of the EC”, Chaudhary told The Indian Express: “We have been saying from the beginning that it is the responsibility of the Election Commission to conduct polls impartially. If any attempt is made to vitiate impartiality under government pressure, it is against democracy.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking at the All India Mayors’ Conference in Varanasi on Friday urged public participation in keeping our cities clean. "Our city should be clean and healthy too, this should be our effor. The development of the city should be done through public participation. People's participation should be emphasized," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking at the All India Mayors’ Conference in Varanasi on Friday said that there was a need to prepare a list of cities where a blind eye has been turned towards the cleanliness campaign.
Modi asked Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri to not only give awards to the city excelling in 'swachata' (cleanliness) but also recognise those making earnest efforts in the field of cleanliness.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking at the All India Mayors’ Conference in Varanasi on Friday said that the country must believe in evolution.India doesn't need a revolution, but evolution. We must conserve everything that we have and move towards technological upgradation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates All India Mayors’ Conference in Varanasi on Friday and highlighted the importance of urban development for an evolvning nation and the role played by mayors in it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took a meeting of his party MPs from poll bound Uttar Pradesh, but refrained from talking about upcoming elections or major political developments in the state including the issue of Lakhimpur Kheri violence which has rocked the Parliament with the opposition demanding the dismissal of Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni whose son Ashish is one of the accused in the case over mowing down of farmers on October 3, sources said.
The meeting was attended by around 40 lawmakers from the state. According to people familiar with the developments the discussions were apolitical, largely on improving their social skills and outreach programs, sources added.
The PM asked the MPs to interact with senior leaders both in the party and in society and to learn from their experiences. (With Liz Mathew)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met around 40 BJP MPs from Uttar Pradesh on Friday over breakfast at his official residence in Delhi. The meeting concluded around 10:30 am today. So far, Modi has met MPs from all north-eastern states, southern states and Madhya Pradesh, the sources said.
These meetings have been informal and not agenda specific.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will likely meet around 40 BJP MPs from Uttar Pradesh on Friday over breakfast at his official residence in Delhi, sources said on Thursday. This will be his fourth such meeting with party MPs from different states during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.
Opposition Samajwadi Party and Congress staged protests against the BJP government outside the Vidhan Sabha building on Wednesday as the House convened for the Winter Session on Wednesday. The BSP, which is left with only three MLAs following the exodus of its legislators in recent months, however, stayed away from the protests.
While the focus of the Samajwadi Party was on the rising prices of essential commodities, the Congress demanded the resignation of Union minister Ajay Mishra in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which four farmers and a journalist were run over by a convoy of three SUVs with one belonging to the minister.
The Congress legislators first staged a dharna near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and then marched towards the Vidhan Sabha building with placards in their hands demanding the resignation of Ajay Mishra.
Chief Minister Adityanath on Thursday targeted the Samajwadi Party (SP) inside and outside the Assembly, referring to present-day “Samajwad (socialism)” as a “red alert” and said the people of Uttar Pradesh should keep away from it. He accused the SP government of Akhilesh Yadav that preceded his administration of allowing corruption in the recruitment processes through bribery.
“This country needs neither communism nor socialism, it only needs Ram Rajya. Jinnah, who killed crores of Hindus with his direct action, can never be an idol of India, never. He was murdered of innocent people. But nothing can be more shameful than glamourising him for the interest of a few votes,” the chief minister said in his speech in the Assembly while announcing provisions made in the supplementary budget.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday told the legislative council that no death due to lack of oxygen was reported in the state during the second wave of COVID-19, a claim rejected by the opposition.
The government said the death certificates made no mention of ‘death due to lack of oxygen’ in any of the 22,915 patients that died due to the pandemic.
Replying to Congress member Deepak Singh during the Question Hour, Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh said, “No death has been reported in the state due to lack of oxygen during the second wave.”
Five years after a family feud led to their parting of ways, and formation of a new party – Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia), Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday met uncle Shivpal Yadav at the latter’s residence in Lucknow and announced that they will contest UP Assembly elections together.
The two leaders formally to draw a common poll strategy almost five years after a tussle for supremacy in Samajwadi Party (SP) kicked off the feud that split SP, with Shivpal forming PSP (Lohia).