Akhilesh did nothing even in SP strongholds, says Yogi
Lucknow, June 7: Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday launched a scathing attack on his predecessor Akhilesh Yadav, saying the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief had failed in implementing the government's pro-poor schemes.
Addressing a public rally in the Yadav stronghold of Mainpuri, the Chief Minister said while in the last year of the SP government no houses were constructed under the Prime Minister's housing scheme, in the last one year 577 houses had been made under the BJP regime.
"During the five-year SP government, only 500 houses were constructed," he pointed out.
Adityanath said in his entire tenure, Akhilesh Yadav had provided power connections to only 525 villages, while his government had in a small time of one year taken electricity to 1,051 villages.
Similarly, he said under the community wedding scheme of the state government, only 1,627 poor families had benefited, while in the one-year rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), this number had gone up to 2,320.
The Chief Minister later reviewed the law and order situation in the district. He also presided over a "Chaupal" under the party's Gram Swaraj Mission and interacted with villagers in an attempt to know their problems and get a first-hand account of the reach of government schemes at the ground level.
"People from among you have done nothing for you. There had not been a single loan waiver in Mainpuri in 2017, while in the last one year we have waived off loans of 38,001 farmers of the district," 46-year-old Adityanath.
He also warned officials that he would not tolerate any laxity with regard to welfare and people-oriented schemes rolled out by his government.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
50 Munambam residents join BJP after Waqf (Amendment) Bill passed
Ernakulam: Hours after the Parliament passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 50 residents from Munambam, a coastal village at the centre of the ongoing Waqf land dispute in Kerala, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). All of them are Christians who had previously supported the Congress and CPI(M), according to Joseph Benny, convener of the Munambam protesters’ action committee.
The move came as BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar visited Munambam and addressed the local protesters, assuring them of continued support. “This is an important day in the state's political history. This agitation has given strength to the Prime Minister and Parliament to pass the amendment Bill. We will be with you until you get back revenue rights over the land,” Chandrasekhar said. He added that the Bill has the potential to restore land rights to the people of Munambam and accused their elected MPs and MLAs of betrayal.
Around 600 families, mostly Christians, have been protesting for over 170 days after the Kerala State Waqf Board staked claim to the 400 acres of land they have inhabited for generations.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Church-linked Malayalam daily Deepika criticised the Congress and CPI(M) for rejecting the Church’s demand that their MPs support amending “anti-people sections” of the Waqf law. It accused them of attempting to instil fear among minorities by citing Sangh Parivar attacks on Christians in northern states and Manipur.
The BJP has positioned itself as the only party backing the cause of Munambam residents, while accusing both CPI(M) and Congress of prioritising Muslim interests in Kerala. Though both LDF and UDF later extended support to the Munambam agitation, their MPs voted against the amendments.
The Munambam area falls under the Ernakulam Lok Sabha constituency, represented by Congress MP Hibi Eden, and the Vypen Assembly segment, represented by CPI(M) MLA K N Unnikrishnan.
