JOIN USIn PM's UP appearance, praises galore for Yogi, eye on Jat votes
Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday sought to douse the perceived anger among the electorally influential Jat community, which was at the forefront in the ongoing farmers' agitation against the new farm laws, by hailing the contribution of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh, a popular Jat king, who, he said, remained 'obscure' owing to the 'mistakes' committed in the past.
Addressing a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh town, after laying the foundation stone of a university after Singh, Modi, in a subtle way, also referred to the alleged migration of several Hindu families from Kairana in the state's Shamli district, which was not far from Aligarh.
The prime minister also heaped praise on the Yogi Adityanath government for cracking down on the mafia elements and establishing the rule of law in the state.
"There were many people, who had contributed greatly in the freedom struggle but they remained obscure and many generations could not know about them owing to the mistakes committed in the past...the mistakes of 20th century are being corrected in the 21st century," Modi said.
He hailed Mahendra Pratap Singh's contribution in the freedom struggle and said that the youths of today should draw inspiration from him.
Modi said that UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath had cracked down on the mafia and goonda elements and established the rule of law in the state. "Earlier the sisters and daughters were scared of going out...many people had to migrate to other places but the situation has changed now," he added.
The prime minister's visit to lay the foundation of the university after Mahendra Pratap Singh and hailing him as a freedom fighter assume electoral significance as the BJP is wary of the impact of the ongoing farmers' agitation in which Jats are in the forefront.
Almost all the important farmer leaders and office bearers of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) hailed from the Jat community. The BKU leaders have declared that they will campaign against the BJP in the Assembly polls in UP, Uttarakhand and Punjab due early next year.
Mahendra Pratap Singh was widely respected in the Jat belt in the western UP region and the decision to set up the university was being viewed as an attempt to douse the anger in the community.
It is claimed that the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) was built on the land donated by Singh. Saffron outfits as well as the BJP leaders have been demanding that the AMU be rechristened after Singh.
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