'Mafia used to demand goonda tax now they are begging for their lives', says UP CM Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday claimed that mafias and other criminals used to forcibly occupy the land of the poor and demand "goonda tax" under previous governments, but the state is free of anarchy under the BJP and there is a rule of law.

Adityanath, who was addressing public meetings in eastern Uttar Pradesh - one of poorest regions and a hotbed of mafias and gangsters, sought to woo voters for the upcoming urban body elections by harping on the planks of law and order and development.

The chief minister asserted that security was now guaranteed in the state. "Earlier, the mafia used to demand goonda tax, but today, they are begging for their lives," he said.

The BJP leader alleged that earlier, the SP, BSP, and Congress used to hand out pistols to the youths of the state, but the incumbent government gives youngsters tablet computers.

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"SP and BSP used to spread corruption and encouraged criminalisation of politics, diversion of funds and embezzlement in welfare schemes, but today the benefits of development schemes reach every poor," the chief minister said at an election meeting in Deoria.

He charged the previous governments with turning Deoria from a sugar bowl to a bowl of bitterness.

"These people sold the sugar mills at a throwaway price... Because of their disgusting politics, they also created an identity crisis for the youth of the state and forced the farmers to commit suicide. But we will restore Deoria to its existence again. A distillery will also be set up here along with ethanol plants," he said.

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The chief minister said that the atmosphere of fear that used to be created during festivals till six years ago is no longer there.

Addressing a conference of traders in Gorakhpur earlier, Adityanath said, "Earlier, the ruling party's goons or the mafia used to forcibly occupy the property and the lands of the poor, but now, Uttar Pradesh has become free of anarchy and there is rule of law in the state."

The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh has maintained that it follows a zero-tolerance policy against the mafia and over 18O criminals have been killed so far in encounters with the police in the state. However, it has been accused by the Opposition and others of high-handedness and bias.
The criminals killed in encounters in the six years of Yogi Adityanath's government included gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad's son Asad and his accomplice.

The UP Police data shows that more than 10,900 police encounters have taken place in the state since March 2017, when Adityanath took over as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for the first time. In these encounters, 23,300 alleged criminals were arrested and 5,046 were injured.