LUCKNOW/VARANASI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the Samajwadi Party (SP) and its chief, Akhilesh Yadav, accusing them on Saturday of “bowing down” to the mafia by giving them tickets to contest elections.
During an election rally in Ghazipur, where SP has fielded Afzal Ansari, brother of the late gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, PM Modi said, “During their rule, the mafia operated with impunity, brazenly challenging the law from open jeeps and killing rivals, while two to three riots took place each month.”
The BJP has fielded Parasnath Rai against Ansari, while the BSP has fielded Umesh Kumar Singh.
Praising Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Modi stated that under his government, riots and rioters have been effectively curbed.
Describing himself as a watchman for the rights of the deprived, Dalits, and backward communities, Modi asserted that under his tenure, reservations for SCs, STs, and OBCs would remain intact.
