Lucknow, Feb 3 (PTI) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said Uttar Pradesh has shed its image as a hub of riots, extortion and lawlessness to become a safe and attractive destination for investment. He attributed this shift to the state government’s zero-tolerance policy towards crime.
He said that UP is no longer a ‘Bimaru’ state but emerged as a breakthrough state, having rule of law with “zero political interference”.
Recalling the situation before 2017, Adityanath said, “You can imagine Uttar Pradesh between 2012 and 2017. There were more than 900 riots during that period. There was hardly any city that did not witness curfews.” He claimed that during those years, traders, doctors and entrepreneurs were forced to pay “goonda tax” and the youth had no future to plan for due to the absence of a clear government policy.
Adityanath was addressing a gathering on the occasion of first Pharma conclave in the state capital.
“The result was that even those who were already running businesses started migrating out of the state. Leaving the land where one has spent childhood is extremely painful, but they were left with no option as personal security was also at stake,” the chief minister said.
Adityanath said this pain was shared by every entrepreneur and trader who had witnessed the period between 2003 and 2017, marked by kidnappings, extortion and prolonged curfews.
He said that after the formation of the BJP government, restoring public confidence was as big a challenge as tackling crime. “We decided to adopt a zero-tolerance policy. The law will be the same for everyone. There will be no distinction between ‘our own’ and ‘others’. PTI ABN AKY AKY
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