Lucknow: Hitting out at the Congress and the Samajwadi Party for not “respecting” Raja Suheldev and organizing fair in the name of invader Salar Masud, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that in ‘New UP’ of ‘New India’, neither a memorial of any foreign invader nor a fair in his name will be accepted.“The Samajwadi Party and the Congress never respected Uttar Pradesh or Maharaja Suheldev. Instead, they began organising the Ghazi Miyan fair in the name of the foreign invader Salar Masud, who had come to trample India and plunder Bahraich and Maa Pateshwari Dham,” the CM said while launching development projects in Bahraich.“Our govt made it clear that in ‘New India’s’ ‘New UP’, neither a memorial of any foreign invader nor a fair in his name will be accepted. The people of Bahraich stopped the event organised in Ghazi’s name. The govt will ensure that, in future as well, grand fairs and events are organised not in Ghazi’s name but in the name of Maharaja Suheldev,” he said.Yogi said that from being an ‘aspirational’ district, Bahraich had progressed to being an ‘inspirational district’, a change brought about by BJP’s double engine govt.“Bahraich now reflects the bright picture of Viksit Bharat. The district is home to the unparalleled natural heritage of Katarniaghat. Bahraich is also among the districts where farmers have done the maximum work in promoting natural farming,” he said.The CM said that development in the region was only possible because the people had elected good public representatives, who fought for their cause both at the Centre and in the state, and ensured that schemes could be implemented on ground.“Before 2017, this was the problem. When the SP govt was in place, ‘Babua’ (referring to Akhilesh) only woke up at 12 noon. Then his uncle would tell him what to do, which also he did not understand. Then he went to the gym and in the evening, he sat with his friends. He knew nothing about development,” Yogi said.“Bahraich was never a BIMARU district but it was the mindset of past govts which was BIMARU. UP is no longer ‘Updrav Pradesh’ but ‘Utsav Pradesh’,” he remarked.“Past govts made money only for themselves and their families and that if anyone spoke out against their atrocities, they would illegally take over their homes. BJP never asks for one’s caste or looks at one’s face before implementing schemes,” Yogi said.“This (Bahraich) used to be a land where people were forced to beg for things. Land, sand and forest mafia looted natural resources, and the common man was getting a bad name. Development was never on the agenda of the SP and the Congress, and therefore, no work was done in Bahraich,” he claimed.Attacking the opposition parties for ignoring Maharaja Suheldev, Yogi said he should have been given respect after India attained Independence, but he was completely ignored.“Instead of acknowledging his contributions to the country, these parties had started a mela in the name of invader Salar Masood Ghazi who had come to loot the country and was defeated by Maharaja Suheldev. When BJP came to power, we vowed that we will never accept any memorial in the name of a foreign invader,” he said.Highlighting the memorials built by BJP to honour Suheldev, Yogi said that Congress and SP could have never done this as they were busy making boundary walls for ‘kabristans’ and organising melas for ‘Ghazi Mian’.He highlighted recent infrastructural developments in and around Bahraich, including the approval by the Centre for the 102-km Barabanki-Bahraich four-lane road for Rs 7,000 crore, flood control measures for Ghaghara-Saryu rivers for Rs 115 crore, and an allocation of Rs 2,100 crore for Bahraich for its improvement in various sectors. He also announced the development of Bahraich as a node of industrial work, which would open new job opportunities.CM Yogi pointed out that this region continues to face the threat of wild animals such as tigers, leopards, crocodiles and hyenas. These animals also cause significant loss of human lives every year, so caution is essential. He directed the administration and the forest department, increase patrolling and ensure the installation of lights and doors in houses.
