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Uttar Pradesh played a pivotal role in shaping the political journey of Jana Sangha and the BJP. From its modest beginning in 1980, to the historic victory in the 2017 assembly elections, BJP’s rise in Uttar Pradesh has been phenomenal. Whenever BJP formed the government in Uttar Pradesh, be it under the leadership of Shri Kalyan Singh, Shri Ram Prakash Gupta in 1990s or under Shri Rajnath Singh after the dawn of 21st century, and later Shri Yogi Adityanath, the BJP governments have established rule of law, ensured faster development, carried out major reforms and worked for the welfare of the people. Its pro-people policies and governance track record have made the BJP a distinct political force in Uttar Pradesh, and helped the party win the hearts of the people of the state and beyond. The Party’s motto of ‘Nation first and Self last’ practiced by successive BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh, has received unwavering support of the people time and time again.
With the sunup of BJP government in Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of Shri Kalyan Singh, for the first time in June 1991 to December 1992 and for the second time in September 1997 to February 1998 the perception of the state started to change for good governance and various other welfare measures. Shri Kalyan Singh endeavored to run an efficient administration and was the harbinger of present-day BJP in the state, who redefined the politics of Uttar Pradesh to a large extent by empowering the people belonging to the backward class and marginalized sections of the society. He also tried to rationalize the reservation structure in government jobs by introducing the most Backward Classes among the OBC and SCs, so that the benefit of reservation can reach the lowest strata of society.
For a brief period, Shri Ram Prakash Gupta was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from November 12, 1999 to October 28, 2000, and in his tenure, he took several decisions for constructive improvement in the field of education and holistic development of the state.
The BJP government in the year 2000 under the leadership of Shri Rajnath Singh also made remarkable contributions to improve the law and order situation of the State. Modernization of science texts and incorporating Vedic mathematics into the syllabus were some of the notable achievements. He left behind an indelible contribution towards the development of Uttar Pradesh.
In contrast, under the Congress, SP and BSP rule, Uttar Pradesh was turned into a BIMARU state, infamous for corruption, lawlessness, crime, nepotism, hooliganism and terrorism. Due to lack of connectivity even reaching the capital city-Lucknow was quite a task for the people of Uttar Pradesh and development was limited to the home constituencies of some Chief Ministers. Under the most recent SP government led by Akhilesh Yadav the law and order situation in the state touched a new low with massive corruption, rising crime, communal disharmony, and lack of development.
Following the landslide victory of BJP in Uttar Pradesh in 2017, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath scripted a new history in multi-pronged development. The Yogi Adityanath government performed exceedingly well and has achieved a landmark in good governance. Setting a record of being the first BJP Chief Minister to complete five straight years in office in Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath has succeeded in changing people’s perception of the state and took it on the path of development, trust and good governance. Breaking a long-held superstition among Uttar Pradesh Chief Ministers that one who visits the economic hub of Noida loses the election, Yogi Adityanath visited Noida multiple times and pushed it to emerge as an industrial hub with the biggest International Airport. Now under the safe hands of BJP, Uttar Pradesh is also attracting investment at a steady pace. Earlier the state was on 14th position in the national ‘Ease of Doing Business’ ranking, but now it has made it to the second position. The state has attracted investment worth Rs. 3 lakh crore in the past 56 months and has emerged as a hub of export.
The BJP government has created an environment of security for the common people, women and businessmen. The state administration attached properties of criminals worth over Rs. 1,800 crore and demolished illegal encroachments. It dealt with criminals and mafias with strictness and under the framework of law, irrespective of their caste and religion. Hence, in the last five years of BJP government, terrorism, riots and the rule of mafia became a thing of the past.
The state of Uttar Pradesh which was earlier seen as a roadblock for faster development of the country turned the challenges into opportunities under the visionary guidance of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and leadership of Yogi Adityanath and has emerged as the growth driver of India. Now the state is a leader in implementation of central schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission, Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and Saubhagya scheme, among other. As per available government data, as many as 42 lakh people from economically weaker sections of the society were given houses since the BJP government came to power in the state in 2017.The state has ensured transfer of more than Rs. 5 lakh crore to people under the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme while around 4.5 lakh youth of the state got employment in the past 56 months.
Improvement in law and order under Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh was another striking example of good governance. The government has led several crackdown campaigns to improve the breakdown of law and order. After taking over as Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath in 2017 declared that “criminals should either mend their ways or leave Uttar Pradesh” and this led to a series of arrests and encounters in Uttar Pradesh. A media report in November 2021 revealed this fact that about 37,000 arrests were made under the Uttar Pradesh Gangster Act. Of them 11,000 were prized criminals. From closure of illegal slaughter houses to setting up anti-romeo squads for women security, demonstrates the commitment of BJP government to improve the law and order situation of UP.
Similarly, while some parties in the past used farmers to further their political ambitions, no one bothered to address their basic problems, like availability of power, water supply, market linkage, government procurement, and timely payment of their dues. The BJP government made earnest attempts to address some of these long-standing farmer issues. The Yogi government transferred Rs 1,62,000 crore directly to the bank accounts of farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. Likewise, by increasing the MSP, remunerative price and reviving the sugar factories the BJP Government did unprecedented work for the sugarcane farmers. With its policies focused at empowering the poor, marginalized, backward and the downtrodden, the difference in the work culture brought in by CM Yogi is now visible.
To give freedom to women from the humiliation of open defecation, the BJP government has constructed over two crore toilets in the state under Swachh Bharat Yojana. To give roof on their head, has built over 34 lakh pucca houses under PM Awas Yojana and also gave the poor beneficiaries gas connections.
The most backward region of Bundelkhand also got special attention of the government for the first time in independent India’s history. From sorting out the perennial water problem to Defence Corridor and robust road network reveals that the government is committed to prevent migration and make this region self-reliant in employment. Construction of Bundelkhand expressways like Purvanchal expressway will lead to a better future at a faster pace. These infrastructure works will give new impetus to the state economy and will help building a new Uttar Pradesh.
The BJP Government in Uttar Pradesh is also getting appreciations for its excellent work during Corona pandemic. The state reported much less death cases in comparison to even small states like Kerala. The state carried out faster Vaccination drive and made sincere efforts to ensure that no poor should sleep hungry by providing free ration under PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. The smooth management of labour and student influx and food distribution during the pandemic, the Yogi government’s exemplary work changed the perception of Uttar Pradesh in the country.
Be it the smooth implementation of Supreme Court judgment for the construction of the grand Ram temple at Ayodhya, construction of Kashi Vishwanath corridor or Nirmal Ganga drive, the Yogi government’s works speak volumes of its success story in UP. This is the same state where riots had become a trend earlier, but in the past five years the state remained free of communal violence and this is a proof of accomplishment, and fulfillment of the dreams of the founding fathers of the party. Uttar Pradesh has been a resounding success story in the past five years, in almost all fronts, and this is visible in the enormous support and blessings for the BJP pouring in from all sections of the society as the Party approaches the assembly elections of 2022 for a renewed mandate.