Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that all dues of the farmers would be cleared within six months if the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Uttar Pradesh (UP) assembly elections to be held in 2017. Singh was addressing a crowd during the party's Parivartan Yatra on Monday.
Singh added that several sugarcane farmers were on a strike because their dues had not been cleared. He said that the party was "unable to pay the dues even if we want to" because the state is currently ruled by the Samajwadi Party (SP) that has pushed Uttar Pradesh to backwardness. He lashed out at the SP government over the deteriorating law and order situation and the "prevailing goondaraj" in the state.
"Today India's economy is progressing at a fast rate, but because of prevailing law and order condition and lack of initiative in the state, Uttar Pradesh is not able to reap the benefits. Give us power and in just 10 years I will ensure that UP will become the best state in India," Singh said.
The home minister also commented on the "Mahabharata" going on in the Yadav family and also accused the SP and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of corruption while speaking highly of his time in office as the chief minister of UP in 2000.
"Today we blame the police and administration for corruption but let me tell you, if the CM himself is honest then even a constable can confidently control crime. When I was CM, police had stopped taking bribe from truckers. It was I who had implemented the 5th Pay Commission's recommendations for teachers, and cane farmers got timely payment. It's all about commitment. No one can accuse any of the BJP CMs of UP of corruption," Singh said.
Singh, however, did not directly address the exodus issue in Kairana that has been going on for a while. But he promised to "probe and withdraw the false cases" after the "formation of our government."
"Jo gundagardi ke aadhaar par logon ke dilon mein dehshat paida karne ka kaam karta hai, behno aur bhaiyon, Bharatiya Janata Party ki sarkar ke aane ke baad, hum dekhenge ki usne kitna ma ka doodh piya hai. (Brothers and sisters, once BJP comes to power we will see how courageous are those who use muscle power to induce fear in the minds of people)," Singh said.
BJP MP Hukum Singh, who had accused Muslims of forcing Hindus to leave the state, addressed the issue directly and said: "I am willing to be labelled communal a hundred times but I will keep raising the issue pertaining to protection of the people of Kairana."
"The Home Minister called me repeatedly to know about the situation and party president Amit Shahji said, 'let the time come, if our government is formed, it will stop the exodus, and ensure the exodus of those who force people to migrate, they will not be allowed to live in UP'" Hukum Singh added, thanking the home minister for his support.
Singh promised to protect the "maan, samman aur swabhiman" of the people of UP especially women with their slogan being: "Ma behno ki aan mein, BJP maidan mein."
