UP CM Yogi Adityanath targets Akhilesh, says women panic at sight of SP men

MORADABAD/AGRA: UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath launched a sharp attack on Akhilesh Yadav-headed Samajwadi Party (SP) during back-to-back rallies in Moradabad and Muzaffarnagar on Friday while campaigning for the Kundarki and Meerapur bypolls. Targeting SP's "track record", the CM accused the party of "sheltering criminal elements and failing to ensure the safety of women during its tenure".

In Moradabad, Yogi said, "If there is a Samajwadi Party flag atop a car, it means that some hooligan is sitting inside." He added that "women panic at the sight of SP supporters". In Muzaffarnagar, Yogi took a direct swipe at the SP-Congress alliance. "SP and Congress have now divorced. There is a clear rift between them, and SP is left cleaning up the mess," he said. The CM also mocked Congress's Lok Sabha campaign where Rahul Gandhi said the party would solve issues 'khata khat' if voted to power.

"Did anyone benefit from it?" Yogi asked.

Highlighting the "governance issues" when Akhilesh was in office from 2012 to 2017, Yogi said, "At the time, daughters and sisters were unsafe, farmers were troubled, youth were migrating, and businessmen were forced to leave the state. The SP govt functioned by dividing society."

Speaking about his govt's achievements, Yogi pointed to the Rapid Rail project between Meerut and Delhi, with plans to extend it to Muzaffarnagar and also mentioned the Rs 2.53 lakh crore sugarcane payments made to farmers in seven years and the benefits of the Kisan Samman Nidhi .