UP's women won't let opposition come back to power: PM Modi
PRAYAGRAJ Women in Uttar Pradesh will not allow the opposition to come back to power because the state government led by Yogi Adityanath has empowered women and provided them with security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Prayagraj on Tuesday, months ahead of assembly polls in early 2022
Women in Uttar Pradesh will not allow the opposition to come back to power because the state government led by Yogi Adityanath has empowered women and provided them security, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Prayagraj on Tuesday, months ahead of assembly polls in 2022.
“Now, UP is secure and full of opportunities. I am confident that when we have the blessings of our mothers and daughters, no one can push UP back into darkness,” Modi told a massive gathering of women.
“The whole country is watching the work done for the development of UP, for the empowerment of women,” the Prime Minister said while attending a programme to promote women’s empowerment.
Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous and politically most important state goes to the polls early in 2022, and the Bharatiya Janata Party has pulled out all stops to ensure its return to power in a state that isn’t usually in the habit of re-electing incumbents.
Over the past few months, the Prime Minister himself has inaugurated several big-ticket projects and developments in Uttar Pradesh, including the Purvanchal Expressway, and the Kashi Vishwanath Dham.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi — her party has already announced that 40% of its candidates in the state will be women — said over the weekend that this “initiative” has awakened “all political parties”, and referred to Tuesday’s meeting of the PM. “Now, all the political parties have started speaking about women,” she said.
Reacting to her remarks, UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh tweaked Priyanka’s campaign theme ‘ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon’.
“‘I am a woman, I can read, progress and become a global leader’... This is due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constant efforts that our women are now setting newer records across the globe,” he tweeted.
During the event, the PM transferred over ₹1,000 crore to 1.6 million women of 1.60 lakh SHGs under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana, with 80,000 SHGs receiving ₹1.10 lakh each and 60,000 SHGs receiving ₹15,000 each. Besides, ₹20 crore were transferred to more than 1 lakh beneficiaries under the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Sumangala Scheme.
“Five years back, the roads of UP had mafia raj and criminals even held sway in the government,” Modi said. “Due to this, women of UP were the biggest sufferers. Mothers and daughters were unable to move around freely, including going to schools or colleges.”
“However, the government of Yogi Adityanath has sent these criminals to their rightful place (jails),” the Prime Minister said.
The centre is also working for the betterment of women, Modi said, pointing to a recent cabinet decision to raise the age of marriage for women to 21 from 18.
“We are making efforts to make this happen as women want time to pursue their studies to get equal opportunities. But some people are troubled by this decision...” he said, referring to the opposition to the Bill.
The double-engine government was working relentlessly to empower daughters of the state, Adityanath said.
“UP government has done the work of giving respect to every woman of the state,” he added.
(With PTI inputs )