Once branded as terror hub, Azamgarh now a fortress of courage, says Yogi Adityanath

Hindustan Times

4 hours ago

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said people of Uttar Pradesh were earlier scared of taking the name of Azamgarh or identifying with the place but under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it has become the fortress of 'indomitable courage'. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurating the Gorakhpur Link Expressway in Azamgarh on Friday. (ANI PHOTO)
He was speaking at the inauguration of the Gorakhpur Link Expressway at Salarpur in Azamgarh.
Taking a swipe at the Opposition, he alleged the previous (non-BJP) governments used to partner with D-company and Dawood gang instead of nurturing development, breached security and made Azamgarh a stronghold of terror but added that there was a sea change now.
'They did not do development, they nurtured Mumbai's D Company, they nurtured Dawood's gang with D Company, they did partnerships with them, they used to break the security, whenever there was a terrorist incident, Azamgarh would get a bad name, these youth of mine faced an identity crisis,' he alleged.
'Today if someone breaches the security of the country, the identity of Azamgarh will not be in danger, rather the person creating the crisis will be given a ticket to hell. This is the new India and Prime Minister Modi has also given a clear message to the enemies of the country through Operation Sindoor that if someone instigates terrorism, inspires and encourages terrorism, then (we) will enter and kill them, whether it is a surgical strike, air strike or Operation Sindoor. The brave soldiers of India will enter the enemy's den, flush them out and finish them off,' Adityanath said
'Today, if someone tries to play with the security of the state, then Yamraj's ticket is already booked for him, ' Adityanath said.
'In 2007-08, Ajit Rai was murdered in Shibli National College for advocating the singing of Vande Mataram, but now no one can dare to do such a thing,' he said, adding that Azamgarh had to beg for its identity earlier but now the situation has changed.
'Remember what the conditions were eight years ago. The youth of UP and the residents of the state would suffer from an identity crisis. People used to feel scared to take the name of Azamgarh and UP,' he said.
He also said, 'When Veer Kunwar Singh, the hero of the first war of independence in 1857, fought the British till Azamgarh to defeat them, there was no connectivity. If this Purvanchal Expressway had been there at that time, the people of Azamgarh, along with Veer Kunwar Singh, would have beaten the British and then this country would have become independent in 1857 itself. There was no connectivity at that time.'
He further said the construction of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Mahakumbh Prayagraj, the development of Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Kashi, Maa Vindhyavasini Dham and Chitrakoot Dham, all these are giving the state a new identity today.
'Our work has also started in Mathura-Vrindavan. Maharaja Suheldev University and Medical College in Azamgarh are strengthening the identity of culture,' he said.
He mentioned the recruitment of 60,244 police personnel in Uttar Pradesh recently. The chief minister said that without recommendation or money, youth of every caste and community, including 12,045 women, have been recruited in Uttar Pradesh police in a transparent manner.
Before 2017, uncle and nephew used to go out for recovery, but now Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas is happening, he alleged.
After 2017, the double engine government gave a new identity to Azamgarh's saree, black pottery and Hariharpur's musical gharana, he said. Earlier, they were ignored, but when Nirahua (former Azamgarh MP Dinesh Lal Yadav) and Neelam Sonkar became MPs, development in the district picked up pace, he added.
Yogi also saw a sand and photo exhibition about the construction work of the link expressway.
In his address in Bhagwanpur, the chief minister further mentioned that over 2.16 lakh appointments have been made in the police department alone, with a total of more than 8.5 lakh government jobs filled in the last eight years.
He praised Prime Minister Modi's vision for enabling the state to balance cultural heritage with modern development. He pointed to examples like Ayodhya, Kashi, Mathura, Prayagraj, Naimisharanya, and Chitrakoot, where the integration of tradition and progress is clearly visible.
'No society can move forward by forgetting its history,' he said, adding that the journey of heritage and development will continue together.
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