Slamming the previous Uttar Pradesh governments over law and order, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the criminals are now scared even to enter the state's jails.
The BJP leader said unlike the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP)-led governments in the state, his government follows a "zero tolerance" policy towards crime.
"You stop indulging in criminal activities or be prepared to pay the price," he said, addressing a "Jan Chaupal" at Fatehpur Sikri in Agra.
Adityanath referred again to his government’s claim that the criminals were earlier getting their bail cancelled so that they could stay safe in jails. "Now they are saying don't even send us to jail. We are afraid to go there too," he said, according to a statement issued here.
His remark comes days after jailed gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari died of cardiac arrest in Banda’s Rani Durgawati Medical College. The five-time MLA had been behind bars in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab since 2005 and had over 60 criminal cases against him.
A post-mortem report confirmed that he died of cardiac arrest. However, a magisterial inquiry was ordered as the opposition parties raised questions over Ansari's death amid allegations by his family that he died due to "slow poisoning" in the Banda jail.
"Before 2017, the police stations in most areas in the state would stop functioning after sunset. The criminals thought that our government would also operate like this but we follow a zero-tolerance policy towards crime," Adityanath said.
He also alleged that Uttar Pradesh suffered due to "riot-curfew policy" of the previous government.
"If there is no fear of law in the mafia and the criminals, they will make life difficult for the general public. Earlier, there used to be riots every other day in UP.
The state has suffered a lot due to the riot-curfew policy of the Congress and the SP but now there are no riot-curfews. This state will no longer tolerate disturbance but will participate in traditional celebrations, Adityanath said, and added, "'Utsav Pradesh' believes in Modi's guarantee." He also attacked the INDIA bloc saying they do not have candidates to field in the Lok Sabha elections because "their parties are meeting but not hearts".
"In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress has fielded candidates on all the seats leaving no seat for the Congress but they are in alliance. In Kerala, the communists did not ally with the Congress but they are also a part of the alliance.
Same is the situation in Maharashtra and other states. They (INDIA bloc) are not getting candidates to contest the elections, Adityanath said.
In UP, the INDIA bloc is trying every trick to woo the voters who will shower their blessings on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he added.
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