Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that before 2017, the Uttar Pradesh government was run by goons and people from mafia. He also urged the people not to forget the kind of scams and corruption it has seen before 2017.

This comment, by the Prime Minister came after he laid the foundation stone of a university named after Jat icon and freedom fighter Raja Mahendra Singh and the Defence Corridor in Aligarh.

This comes seven years after the local BJP first demanded renaming the AMU after the freedom fighter. 

Meanwhile, the foundation of the university gains significance as it comes ahead of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, which are less than six months away. The move is seen as an attempt by the BJP to woo the Jat community.

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Addressing the gathering at Aligarh, PM Modi said, “Before 2017, every scheme for the poor faced roadblocks. The pace of governance for the state was very slow. People of UP cannot forget the kind of scams and corruption it has seen before 2017. Yogi ji’s government is completely dedicated to the state’s progress. The government used to be run by goons and mafias.”

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“Yogi ji has pushed Uttar Pradesh forward with the mantra ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas aur Sabka Prayas’. The state is now known for big infrastructure projects, especially western parts of the state,” PM Modi said.

“For 75 years, we were a major defence importer. India is now moving towards becoming a major defence exporter and Uttar Pradesh will play a major role in the sector,” the Prime Minister added.

He further went on to say that Aligarh, which was known for protecting shops and houses with its locks before, will be known in the 21st century for protecting the country’s borders, due to the city’s contribution to the defence sector.