NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath drew parallels between the current situation in Bengal and the condition of Uttar Pradesh nine years ago, focusing on issues of law and order.Addressing a rally in Paschim Bardhaman, West Bengal, he said, “The anarchy you see here, the atmosphere of fear, the riots, the reign of mafia, and the siphoning and corruption of funds meant for development, such a dire situation prevailed in Uttar Pradesh nine years ago as well.”He elaborated on the situation in Uttar Pradesh at that time, stating, “Nine years ago, there were riots every second or third day. No festival or celebration could take place. Sisters and daughters were unsafe, hooliganism was at its peak, crime was rampant, the mafia held sway, and funds meant for public welfare and development were looted. The remedy for this is only one, and that is a double-engineered BJP government.”Launching a sharp attack on the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), Adityanath accused it of pushing West Bengal into an “identity crisis” over the past 15 years and appealed to the public to reject the party.“I have come to appeal to you, those people, due to whom Bengal has been facing an identity crisis for the past 15 years, who have turned Bengal into a hub of terror, mafia rule, extortion, and corruption, that TMC is no longer needed. These people have created an atmosphere of fear among the common public, the youth, and daughters and sisters. Because of them, the mafia has emerged. This mafia tendency will be ended by the BJP. This is the BJP’s resolve,” he said.Adityanath also referred to recent political developments, stating, “The realisation of the dream once envisioned by Syama Prasad Mukherjee has been accomplished today under the leadership of our PM Modi. Article 370 has been abolished in Kashmir. Indian law applies in Kashmir in the same way as it does in Bengal, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. We no longer want the TMC, which has put Bengal through an identity crisis for the last 15 years and has turned it into a den of terror, mafia rule, and corruption. While PM Modi sends money for the public from Delhi, TMC goons embezzle it.”Meanwhile, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee responded by accusing BJP of attempting to undermine the state’s identity and constitutional rights. She further alleged that people of Bengal were facing “suffering and humiliation” under BJP-ruled states and claimed that attempts were being made to impose uniformity by erasing Bengal’s culture and diversity.
