Naxalism ould have 'destroyed' Madhya Pradesh if Congress was thrown out: Yogi

Canvassing for the BJP in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Monday said naxalism could have "destroyed" the state had the people not dislodged the Congress from power in 2003. Addressing a rally in Badnawar assembly constituency in Dhar district, Adityanath held the Congress responsible for problems like "terrorism and naxalism" in the country. He said naxalism couldn't take roots in Madhya Pradesh because people dislodged the Congress from power 15 years ago.

"The root cause of problems like terrorism, naxalism and unrest in the country is the Congress. If the people of this great state (Madhya Pradesh) had not uprooted the Congress in 2003, then naxalism could have destroyed the entire state and totally affected the lives of people," the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said. Sitting BJP MLA Bhanwar Singh Shekhawat is in the fray from Badnawar constituency. Adityanath said the incumbent Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government launched several developmental projects in Madhya Pradesh in the last 15 years and ensured good governance and peace prevailed in the state. In the run-up to elections, the opposition Congress has been accusing the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government of "failing" to perform on all fronts.

"The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh ensured that peace prevailed in the state under its rule. Due to this peaceful environment, the government could launch and complete several developmental projects in the state," he said. Adityanath said the state government had ensured that riots, lawlessness, naxalism, goondaism, crimes like dacoity, and terrorism do not take place in Madhya Pradesh. As a result of the development agenda of the BJP, Madhya Pradesh has come out of poverty and is no longer categorised as a BIMARU state, he said. BIMARU is an acronym formed from the first letters of the names of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The acronym was used to refer to the poor economic conditions within those states. Adityanath claimed development works worth Rs 544 crore were implemented in just one assembly segment, Badnawar, in the last five years under the leadership of local MLA Shekhawat. "When the pure water of the Narmada river reaches here, it will bring happiness in the region," he said. Adityanath said every village in the state is getting power under the BJP. "Farmers are receiving a dedicated supply of electricity for 10-12 hours every day for agriculture-related works unlike the scenario in the previous Congress government. Madhya Pradesh has become a power surplus state under the BJP rule," he said.

Adityanath said the condition of roads in Madhya Pradesh has improved significantly even as he recalled his past experience of visiting Gujarat, where he said the condition of roads had been bad. He said the BJP would come to power in the north-eastern state of Mizoram, where elections are scheduled to be held on November 28 along with Madhya Pradesh. "The BJP would come to power in Mizoram on December 11, the day the counting of votes will be done. Mizoram will become the seventh north-eastern state to be ruled by the BJP which is already in power in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura, and is supporting governments in Meghalaya and Nagaland," he said. Earlier people used to say that 'lotus' (the poll symbol of the BJP) will never bloom in the north-east, but the BJP has proved this notion wrong by uprooting terrorism from these states. The BJP, which has been in power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003, is aiming at a fourth straight term under chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

(With inputs from agencies.)