Meerut: Hitting out at the previous governments in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said gangsters and criminals used to play their own games here earlier but the Yogi Adityanath government now plays "jail-jail" with them. Addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone for Major Dhyan Chand Sports University here, PM Modi said, "During previous governments, criminals used to play their games and the mafias used to play their own." "Earlier, there used to be tournaments of illegal land grabbing. People making obscene remarks at daughters used to roam free," he said, adding people living in Meerut and adjoining areas can never forget “how houses used to be set ablaze” here. "The result of these games played by the earlier government was that people were forced to leave their ancestral homes and there was an exodus," the prime minister claimed. "Now, the Yogi government is playing 'jail-jail' with such criminals. Five years ago, the daughters of Meerut used to fear leaving their homes after evening. Today, the daughters of Meerut are bringing laurels to the entire country," Modi said. Reacting to Prime Minister Modi's “games” jibe, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav retorted back, accusing the BJP of playing “false games”, which, he said, people will foil in the upcoming state assembly elections.
Prime Minister Modi, taking an apparent dig at SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, further said, "The role of the government should be that of a guardian. Competence should be encouraged. In case of youths committing a mistake, it should not be ignored by saying that 'boys do make mistakes'." The Prime Minister apparently referred to a remark made by SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav a few years ago amid pouplar demands for stringent punishments to rapists.
Referring to the infamous Sotiganj Market of Meerut, which specialised in dismantling stolen cars and selling its parts, Modi said, "There has been 'the end' to the game played with vehicles in the market. Real sports are getting encouragement in UP. The youths of UP are getting an opportunity to make their presence felt in the sports world."
Accusing the previous governments of not making efforts to change the 'narrow' mindset towards sports, Modi said the sports world was marred by maladies like games of nepotism, casteism, corruption and discrimination earlier at every level right from the training to team selection.
Amid Prime Minister Modi laying the foundation stone of a sports university in Meerut after the legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand, Akhilesh Yadav who ruled Uttar Pradesh from 2012 to 2017, accused the succeeding BJP government of destroying the sports infrastructure created by his government in the state. "The BJP government discontinued the Yash Bharti Awards given in the fields of wrestling, athletics, hockey and cricket. They also destroyed the sports infrastructure made by the SP,” claimed Yadav. “Tell me how much was the contribution of Delhi to the sports infrastructure of UP. The people will spoil the 'jhootha khel' (false games) of the BJP in 2022 (UP assembly elections)," he said. Prime Minister Modi also attacked previous governments over the closure of sugar mills and their alleged sales at “throwaway” prices in UP. "During the Yogi government, new mills were opened instead of plants being shut down. Those who were earlier in power used to make farmers hanker to get payments for sugarcane," he said.
He added that the payment made to sugarcane farmers by the Yogi government was more than what the two earlier governments paid together.
Modi also mentioned that on Saturday lakhs of farmers from UP had got the money transferred to their bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi and that it would benefit small farmers of this region. The western UP has 67 assembly seats with the BJP winning a majority of them in the 2017 polls. The SP is hoping to wrest control of the western UP from the BJP on the strength of its poll alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh's grandson Jayant Chaudhary in the wake of farmers resentment over the now-repealed farm laws. Talking of the upcoming sports university here, the PM said over 1,000 boys and girls will pass out as excellent sportspersons from it. "In other words, the city of revolutionaries will further strengthen its identity as the city of sportspersons," he said, in an apparent reference to the 1857 revolt against the East India Company beginning in Meerut with its leader sepoy Mangal Pandey attaining an iconic status among the country's freedom fighters. Meerut has also been a top cricket bat manufacturing hub. On this occasion, the PM met 22 international sportspersons including Suhas LY, the district magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar who won a silver medal in the recent Paralympics in Tokyo. On the occasion, PM Modi lauded Indian youths, who, he said, have made their presence felt in various fields ranging from science to literature and from start-up to sports. The Meerut sports university will now serve as a nursery to nurture the sports talent and culture in the country, he said, while recalling that the country's first national sports university was established during his tenure only in Manipur in 2018, seven decades after the Independence. Prime Minister Modi also said his government has linked sports with employment. Schemes like “Target Olympics Podium” are providing all support to top sportspersons to compete at the highest level, he said, adding “Khelo India Abhiyan” recognises talent very early and they are supported to be groomed to compete at the international level. India's recent performance in the Olympics and Paralympics is proof of the emergence of a new India in the field of sports, he said. Modi said the sporting eco-system comprising sports, sports management, sports writing and sports psychology, among others, creates new possibilities. He mentioned that the double-engine government in Uttar Pradesh is establishing many universities, and listed them. “Our goal is clear. The youth should not only become role models but also recognize their role models," he said.
