Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that people were finding "new ways to block the rights and development of Muslim women" in India. He went on to say that a BJP-led government was essential in Uttar Pradesh to ensure Muslim women aren't oppressed, reports indiatoday.in.

"BJP government freed Muslim women from triple talaq. When Muslim women started openly supporting Modi government, opponents got anxious. But we stand with every Muslim woman," Modi said, speaking the same day that Uttar Pradesh began voting in the first phase of the Assembly election.

His comments come against the backdrop of the major hijab controversy in Karnataka which erupted in January after six girl students were not allowed to enter their college on account of wearing hijabs. The issue snowballed and spread to other parts of the state, with opposing students responding by turning up in saffron shawls. The row also turned into a battle between the BJP and Opposition parties. The matter is in the high court at present, adds indiatoday.in.

He added that a BJP government was necessary in Uttar Pradesh to keep the state riot-free, keep women free from fear and send criminals to jail.

"People have decided to vote for those who develop UP. Those who keep UP riots-free, those who keep our mothers and daughters free of fear, those who keep criminals in jail, people will vote for them," PM Modi said at a rally in Saharanpur.

Addressing his first physical rally in Saharanpur, he said the BJP government in the state was required so that the poor continue to get free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh in good hospitals.

The BJP government is also needed so that money given under the PM Kisan Yojana keeps going into bank accounts of small farmers, he said.

Modi also took a jibe at rivals and asked should Yogi ji send criminals and mafias to "mahal" (palace) instead of sending them to jails.

Targeting rivals Samajwadi Party and its allies, the Prime Minister tore into what he called "ghor- parivarvadi log (those who believe in dynasty)", saying if they had been in power, "vaccines would be sold on the way and you would be forced to play a game of life and death with Covid," quoted NDTV.

Cheered by a huge crowd, the PM heaped accusations on Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and his ally Jayant Chaudhary of the Rashtriya Lok Dal without naming them.

"Earlier governments had no vision because of 'parivarvaad' (nepotism). They could not see or think beyond family. They did not worry about you but only ran everything via mafias. We bring permanent solutions and want every citizen to live with self-respect," he said.

"I see how one dynastic party is making fake promises, one after the other. They know the people of UP remember their old misdeeds. Power is not in their destiny . That is why they are making all sorts of promises . What do they care? They are not coming to power ever, so they can make any promises. Such big promises are mostly hollow. Never forget what they did when they were in power," he said bitingly.

In the first phase of the UP election today, voting took place in 58 constituencies in western UP, where the BJP faces a strong challenge from the Samajwadi Party and the RLD because of farmers' anger.

The results of elections in UP and four other states will be declared on March 10.