Modi credited Yogi as CM for “doubling” the pace of development in the state.

(This story originally appeared in on Jul 16, 2018)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi threw his weight behind the UP chief minister during his two-day trip to the state, pointing out that like himself Yogi Adityanath had no family, but the people. In all his three speeches over two days, Modi credited Yogi as CM for “doubling” the pace of development in the state.

“Modi ho, Yogi ho – aap hi log hamare parivar gain (be it Modi or Yogi – you people are our family),” Modi said in Azamgarh on Saturday, in a direct jibe at familyrun parties like the Congress and the Samajwadi Party whom he also blamed for sitting on schemes and projects. “Atki hui, latki hui, hhatki hui (Stuck, pending and misdirected) schemes - we have revived and started them,” PM said in Mirzapur, pointing to the four-decade old Bansagar project that he inaugurated on Sunday.

This pitch to UP voters of ‘Modi-Yogi double engine’ of development seems the theme for 2019 in the all-important state for BJP.

What came as a shot in the arm for Yogi, after a string of recent by-poll losses in UP, is that while the PM took credit for the pace he brought to central schemes in the state in the last four years like doubling the length of national highways in UP, he praised Yogi as CM for “doubling” this speed of development.

PM cited example of his constituency, Varanasi, to cite “little support and in fact obstacles” put by the former Samajwadi Party government to the projects there. “But since BJP came to power in UP, speed of development increased not only in Varanasi but entire UP as well,” PM said.

On this trip, PM addressed the poor in UP, citing 80 lakh Ujjwala connections, 5 cr bank accounts, One crore number of loans under Mudra scheme and 18 lakh rural houses given in UP. He said Rs 300 cr in claims had been paid to people in UP after 1.5 cr people had signed up for two insurance schemes of the Centre. “This has helped us lift people out of poverty.

A recent international report said 5 cr people have been lifted out of extreme poverty in India in last 2 years,” Modi said.

PM will shift gears on July 29 when he visits Lucknow for his sixth public engagement in UP this month and launches 64 projects by corporates worth Rs 55,000 cr in UP – this after MoUs worth Rs 4,00,000 crore were signed during an investors summit in Lucknow earlier this year.

Leading corporates chiefs, including Mukesh Ambani and Kumar Mangalam Birla, are expected in Lucknow for the same along with a number of Union cabinet ministers.

This could also show that Modi and Yogi are also bringing investment and jobs.

