LUCKNOW: In an apparent jibe at SP leader Azam Khan, UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh on Sunday said that the electorate of Rampur was faced with a candidate whose leader used to call "Bharat Mata" a "Dayan" (witch).
Addressing a rally in by poll bound Rampur, Singh said that it was a direct fight for the honor and respect of Mother India. "Every BJP worker was ready to lay down life for "Bharat Mata," he said, asserting that people of Rampur have been working for thousands of years with a commitment towards nation building and country's security.
Singh said that Rampur followed the path shown by Lord Buddha, who was a messenger of truth, non-violence, mercy, compassion and peace. "You have 'Ram' in the name of your district and 'Ram' in your heart too," he said, stressing that party candidate Ghanshyam Lodhi worked for the development of Dalits and backwards.
The UP BJP chief said that under the previous SP government, Dalits were being harassed and they were being forced to migrate. At that time the leaders of Congress and BSP also maintained silence. "Only and only BJP stood with the Dalits," he said.
Singh said that the "Chaaku" (knife) of Rampur, which was once used for protection and security, became a tool to seize the lands of the Dalits and the properties of the poor under the SP government. He said that in CM Yogi Adityanath rule, no goon-mafia has the status to capture even an inch of land belonging to our Dalit brothers. Singh claimed that in the last 5 years, strictest action were taken against 147 land mafia in Rampur and 640 hectares of land was freed from their illegal occupation.
