Lucknow: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said the previous Samajwadi Party govt had imposed restrictions on Hindu traditions like kanwar yatra and now it seems that its president Akhilesh Yadav was waiting to don saffron and join the pilgrimage in the state.“Previous govts would not allow the kanwar yatra to take place but now religious faith was getting the respect it deserved under BJP govt. Kanwariyas were being showered with flowers during their pilgrimage. Now, seeing the enthusiasm and devotion of the devotees, it appears that even the SP president is waiting to wear saffron attire and join the kanwar yatra,” he said.Speaking at an event in Basti where he inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 77 development projects worth Rs 504 crore, Yogi said the opposition should apologise to the people for making people offer namaz on the steps of Hanumangarhi, taking action against those who chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ the Parshurampur riots and incidents that hurt religious sentiments.The CM claimed that before 2017, govt funds were spent on constructing boundary walls for graveyards and facilitating illegal encroachments in the name of waqf. Now, under BJP govt, the same funds are being utilised for the restoration and development of religious sites, the CM said, adding that nearly 1,500 temples had been restored in the state under his govt.He mentioned an incident when he was MP from Gorakhpur and was approached by an SP district president.“The district president of the SP came to me with a complaint that land near his house was being encroached upon in the name of a graveyard. I sent my workers, got the encroachment removed, and saved his land,” he said.Commenting on the improvement in the education system under his govt, Yogi said under SP, there was a culture of cheating and the future of youth had become bleak. Farmers were deprived of facilities and the power supply system was so poor that people in Basti used to dry clothes on electricity wires.“While the public was struggling with a power crisis, programmes of film stars were being organised in Saifai,” he said.Recalling statements by the opposition on the Ram Temple, the CM said those opposing the construction of the temple used to say that if it was built, rivers of blood would flow. “But we had said not even a mosquito would die, and today the entire country has seen that the grand Ram Temple has been built. During SP’s rule, a saying had become common in the state, which was ‘Dekh Sapai, Bitiya Ghabraai’. At that time, the safety of women and daughters was under threat, and law and order had completely collapsed. Now, people are scared to break the law,” he said.
