PM’s poll pitch in UP: Yogi plays jail-jail with gangsters

Illegal land grab, free run for those who insulted women a thing of the past, claims Modi.

Meerut: Hitting out at previous governments in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said gangsters and criminals used to play their own games here earlier but the Yogi Adityanath government now plays “jailjail” with them.

Addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone for Major Dhyan Chand Sports University here, Modi said, “Earlier, there used to be tournaments of illegal land grabbing. People making obscene remarks at daughters used to roam freely,” he said, adding people living in Meerut and adjoining areas can never forget how houses used to be set ablaze here.

“The result of these games played by earlier governments was that people were forced to leave their ancestral homes and there was an exodus,” the prime minister claimed. “Now, the Yogi government is playing ‘jail-jail’ with such criminals. Five years ago, the daughters of Meerut used to fear leaving their homes after evening. Today, the daughters of Meerut are bringing laurels to the entire country,” Modi said.

Taking an apparent dig at Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, Modi said, “The role of the government should be that of a guardian. Competence should be encouraged. In the event of youths committing a mistake, it should not be ignored by saying ‘boys do make mistakes’.” The prime minister apparently referred to a remark made by SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav a few years ago.

Akhilesh Yadav-led SP government ruled the state from 2012 and was succeeded by the BJP government in 2017.