Gorakhpur, (IANS): Promising that there will be no bias in the name of religion and caste, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Aditya Nath Yogi on Saturday also assured that couples would not be harassed by anti-Romeo squads in the state.
The 44-year-old BJP leader said that National Green Tribunal (NGT) directions were being followed in the crackdown on illegal abattoirs, in his first public speech here after taking over as BJP’s Chief Minister on March 19.
He announced aid for Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims and pot hole-free roads in the state by June 15.
“Those who want to go on a pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar would be given Rs 1 lakh aid by our government,” he said, and added that the BJP government would set up a Kailash Mansarovar Bhavan either in Lucknow, Ghaziabad or Noida.
After drawing flak for the anti-Romeo squads targetting young couples in the state, the new Chief Minister assured that couples who are together with consent would not be troubled.
“I have received many complaints from mothers, daughters and sisters of harassment towards them. We have assured them that we were are committed to their safety and security,” said Aditya Nath.
“I have given instructions to the administration that strict action should be taken in such situations,” he added.
“We have made the anti-Romeo squads in Uttar Pradesh active. But the girls and boys who are walking together with consent should not be troubled,” he said.
“We have to make the streets safe for women so that they can walk even at midnight,” he added.
He said his BJP government will implement Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s development agenda in the state and there would be no “discrimination on the basis of caste, religion and gender” and promised there will be no appeasement of any community or group.
“I will implement the Prime Minister’s development agenda in the state,” he said.
He said the government’s priority will be safety of women, employment generation, end of ‘goonda raj’, corruption, lawlessness and anarchy in the state.
He credited Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah for the party’s landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh.
“Nobody believed that BJP would come to power in UP. But, Amit Shah was always confident of winning more than 300 seats in the state. We finally won 325 seats in UP,” said Aditya Nath. The BJP leader, who was earlier called Yogi Adityanath, is now officially called Aditya Nath Yogi, as per the state government website.
On banning illegal abattoirs, Aditya Nath said he was only following the directions of the NGT to close down illegal slaughter houses in the state.
“In the past couple of years, NGT had given directions many times that illegal slaughter houses in Uttar Pradesh should be closed down,” he said.
“The government will not trouble those slaughter houses following norms and having license. But the ones which are violating NGT norms, which are polluting the environment and posing threat to public health, would not be spared,” he added.
He said the government has already started the process to ban such slaughter houses.
On making improving roads, he said: “I have met the PWD (Public Works Department) officials and asked them to make all roads in the state pot hole-free by June 15.”
“Uttar Pradesh government will walk the path of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. There won’t be any discrimination based on caste, religion, and gender,” he assured.
He said the state has “been deprived until now, but it won’t be neglected any more”.
“We will work towards development of sugar mills, to solve the problems of Anganwadi workers, farmers and to provide employment to the unemployed youth. We will fulfill the promises made through our election manifesto. We will work towards making UP the No. 1 state in the country,” he added.
He also said the UP government will seek peoples’ opinion on government schemes and also update them about its implementation. “We will establish law and justice in the state,” he said.
Aditya Nath assured that development in the state will not be limited to just eastern Uttar Pradesh and Gorakhpur. “I will serve the 22 crore people of the state and bring an end to lawlessness and anarchy in the state.”