Yogi Adityanath said that UP has taken a number of steps for the welfare of traders. (File)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday termed the Samajwadi Party (SP) the "guardian of the dreaded mafia" and claimed that it felt the maximum pain when bulldozers moved against anti-social elements.
Addressing a meeting of traders, Mr Adityanath said, "Security and conducive atmosphere are needed for business. The government has adopted a policy of zero tolerance towards crime due to which there is a sense of confidence among traders."
Referring to the demolition of a property of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, he said whenever any such action is initiated against the mafia, the maximum pain is felt by the SP because it is the guardian of the dreaded mafia.
Without naming Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, he said, "It is for this reason that he (Akhilesh Yadav) often says that this (BJP) is a government of bulldozers. We run bulldozers over the mafia and we use the bulldozers for the benefit of the people. In the past five years, we have successfully implemented this drive."
The Chief Minister claimed that under the previous Samajwadi Party government, there were about 300 incidents of riots in the state and they directly hit traders.
"There were riots. Shops and establishments were burnt and looted. Traders used to cry for justice but false cases were registered against them. This was the real face of the SP, the BSP and the Congress," he said.
Referring to the exodus of traders from Kairana area in Shamli district due to the fear of criminals, Mr Adityanath said owing to the BJP government's zero tolerance policy towards crime, stringent action was initiated against the criminals. Most of the traders have returned to their homes in Kairana, he added.
He said over 70 per cent of the traders had fled to Delhi, Haryana, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
Mr Adityanath said that his government has taken a number of steps for the welfare of traders in the state, and UP has jumped from the 14th spot to the second spot in the ease of doing business category.
Accusing the SP, BSP and Congress of harassing traders, he said, "This led to the closure of traditional industries, be it the Chikankari industry of Lucknow, brass industry of Moradabad or glass industry of Firozabad. Under 'One District, One Product' scheme of the state government, lakhs of industrialists have benefitted. Traditional products have once again found their rightful place."
On this occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma alleged that under the previous governments, loot was rampant and traders were harassed. "If trade and traders are prosperous, the country will also become prosperous," he added.
Mr Sharma said the state government has made environment conducive for trade by giving traders security.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)