SCs, STs suffered most during SP regime, says Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath

VARANASI: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath asked BJP’S Scheduled Caste wing to hold conventions in all the 75 districts of UP and to tell SC population about the measures taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their upliftment.
The CM targeted Samajwadi Party for starvation deaths in its regime and alleged that instead of giving ration cards to the poor, SCs and STs, they were given to SP workers and office-bearers.
Addressing the valedictory session of the two-day national executive meet of BJP’s SC wing at Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Trade Facilitation Centre here on Sunday, Yogi said, “Before I became the CM, the state witnessed large number of starvation cases during the SP regime. Most of the people who died of hunger were from the SC and ST classes. When I ordered verification of ration cards after becoming CM, it came to light that 40% ration cards were issued in the names of SP office-bearers, workers and even fair price shop owners. We cancelled these ration cards and gave them to the deserving beneficiaries.”
During earlier pandemics, more deaths were caused due to hunger and not because of diseases, he said and praised the PM for ensuring that no one died due to hunger during the biggest worldwide Covid-19 pandemic of the century.
“Since 1998, I kept raising the issue of Japanese Encephalitis in the Parliament as an MP as this disease was claiming hundreds of lives, especially in two divisions of the state. However, no government at Centre paid attention, nor did it take any remedial action despite the fact that most of the children dying of JE belonged to SC, ST, most backward classes and minorities. After coming to power, I ensured acceleration of the pace of sanitation drive launched by PM in 2014 apart from ensuring availability of treatment and test facilities and JE has almost been eliminated.”
The country had many PMs before Modi, but the problems of the poor, SC, ST and OBC were not solved by them though they continued coming back to power by dividing the society on caste lines, said Yogi.
“PM Modi launched a massive sanitation drive and construction of toilets, which ensured the dignity of women and vastly improved the health status of the society,” the CM added.
Recalling the three-day campaigning ban imposed on him by the election commission during 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Yogi said he got an invite from Mahadev Harijan of Ayodhya in this period.
“Mahadev showed me his house constructed under PM Awas Yojana, power and LPG connections, ration and Ayushman cards apart from mentioning the benefits of Jan Dhan Yojana he had got. Mahadev told me that he worked for one political party in the past but got all benefits in PM Modi’s regime,” he added.
Mentioning the background of the authors of the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, Yogi said the reasons for marginalizing the SC should be studied to know why efforts were always made to divide society in the name of caste.
Yogi praised Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar for his association with the roots of the country and its culture despite going abroad for higher studies after facing hardships in early life.
He said, “Dr Ambedkar gave such a Constitution to India which ensured fundamental rights to all, irrespective of caste, creed and faith.”
Highlighting the initiatives of PM for developing memorials, including Panch Tirtha at places associated with the life of Dr Ambedkar, he said, even the places associated with other legendary personalities like Maharshi Valmiki, Sant Ravidas and others are being developed to ensure that future generations of country are inspired by them.
Thanking the party’s SC wing for holding its national executive in Varanasi, Yogi appealed to its leaders to hold convention in each of 75 districts of UP as a part of the ongoing Amrit Mahotsava to make SCs aware about all the government schemes and tell them how they can take optimum benefits from them.