SP never celebrated Valmiki, Ambedkar jayantis out of fear of losing its vote bank: Adityanath

Kanpur: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday alleged that the Samajwadi Party never celebrated the birth anniversary of Maharishi Valmiki and B R Ambedkar when it was in power in the state as it was afraid of losing its vote bank.

Adityanath laid the foundation stones and inaugurated 152 development projects worth Rs 501 crore in Kanpur and participated in several programmes on Valmiki Jayanti. Saint Valmiki is the author of epic Ramayana and is a revered figure, especially among Dalits.

Addressing a Scheduled Castes Mahasammelan here, Adityanath said, "Today you would see Baba Saheb Ambedkar's picture in every government office, but during the Samajwadi Party government, the medical college in Tirwa (Kannauj) was renamed".

"They (SP) were so irritated that a stone slab (with Ambedkar's name on it) was broken by SP goons. They were afraid of celebrating the birth anniversary of Maharishi Valmiki, Lord Ved Vyas, Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar, and Sant Ravidas fearing that their vote bank might slip out of their hands," he added.

The CM said people should be cautious as these 'faces and characters' say one thing and do another thing, according to an official statement.

Recently, Uttar Pradesh Social Welfare Minister Aseem Arun announced that the Kannauj Medical College will be renamed after Ambedkar.

Earlier, the college was named Dr Bhimrao Medical College but during Akhilesh Yadav's tenure as the chief minister (2012-2017), it was renamed while SP 'goons' broke the stone with Ambedkar's name on it placed outside the college, he said.

Highlighting the achievements of the BJP government at the Centre and in the state, Adityanath said, this is a double-engine government which fulfils its promises.

Referring to the government's schemes for the welfare of backward communities, Adityanath said, 'The state government has decided that minimum wages will be guaranteed to all sanitation workers.' We have formed a committee under the leadership of the chief secretary to ensure this, he added.

Talking about the development projects launched in Kanpur on Saturday, Adityanath said they will benefit the entire Kanpur-Bundelkhand region.

Targeting the previous governments of opposition parties, he said, "Kanpur was once among the fastest-growing cities in the country. It used to be among the three biggest economically prosperous cities but the previous governments destroyed the economic progress."

"Today, I am happy that projects worth Rs 500 crore are being inaugurated, foundation stones are being laid, and new schemes are also being announced here," he said.

Kanpur is being recognised as a metro city and it is fast emerging as the new centre of the Defence Manufacturing Corridor, he said.

'The double-engine government has taken up the process of developing a new industrial development centre on the lines of Noida in 38,000 acres of land in the region from Kanpur to Jhansi,' he said.

Earlier, the CM inaugurated the Ved Vyas Gram Vikas Project worth Rs 1.56 crore for rehabilitating the families of those killed in a road accident in Kortha village in October last year.

An entire township has been established for those families, he said.

Twenty-six people were killed and several others sustained injuries when a tractor-trolley carrying them fell into a pond in Kortha village of Kanpur.