Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday again invoked Lord Shiva, Ram Temple and Ganga and accused his rivals of being opposed to the country's 'heritage,' as he heaped praise on Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath saying that the people of the state found him 'UPYogi' (useful).
Addressing a public meeting at Shahjahanpur after laying the foundation of the Ganga Expressway Project, Modi said that there are people in the country who had problems with its heritage.
"Some people have problems with construction of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Ram Temple, cleaning of Ganga...these very people raise questions on army operations and also question the corona vaccines," he said.
Modi said that the Yogi Adityanath government had initiated several measures for the welfare of the people of the state and UP had witnessed progress in the past few years. "The mafia elements have been crushed...migrations from the villages have stopped....women feel safe now," he added.
"Tabhi aaj pradesh ki janata kah rahi hai ki UP plus Yogi hai bohot UPYogi" (the people of the state are saying that UP + Yogi = UPYogi), the prime minister said.
Modi also invoked Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan and Roshoan Singh-the three freedom fighters, who were hanged by the Britishers for taking part in a train robbery-and who hailed from Shahjahanpur and said that the true tribute to them would be to serve the country.
The prime minister began his address with hailing Baba Vishwanath, Ganga and Parashuram.
The 600-kilometre long Ganga Expressway would connect Prayagraj with Meerut and pass through 12 districts. A little over Rs 36 thousand crore would be spent on its construction.
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