Rivals to get “electric shock” after UP poll results: Modi

Mirzapur (UP), March 3 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said BJP’s rivals SP, BSP and Congress will get “electric shocks” when the results of UP assembly elections are announced.

Modi’s sharp riposte came in response to a remark by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who had asked him to touch an electric wire to see if current flows through it.

On the campaign trail, Modi has been attacking the Samajwadi Party government over “poor” power supply in the state and also controversially accused it of discrimination in its distribution along religious lines, a charge rubbished by the Chief Minister.

“On March 11, election results will give electric shock to SP, BSP and Congress,” he said.

“Akhilesh has dared me to touch an electric wire to find out whether power is really there or not. His new friend Rahul Gandhi, during his ‘khaat sabha’ at Madihan in Mirzapur, however, had touched the wire and told his party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad that there was nothing to worry as there is no power in the line,” Modi said.

“This is the acceptance of your new friend. Do I need touch the wires any more? Akhileshji, now people have spread such a current that will give shocks to SP, BSP and Congress on March 11,” he said.

Rahul had launched a ‘khat sabha’ campaign, much before the SP and Congress got into an alliance for the state assembly election, where the Congress vice president would interact with the village folk seated on cots to understand their problems and find solutions. One ‘khat sabha’ saw villagers run away with the cots after the meeting had ended.

Modi said people had run away with the cots as those belonged to them and they would now ensure the defeat of Congress.

Referring to the alleged decline of the famous brassware industry in Mirzapur, Modi alleged it was “ruined” because of lack of electricity.

“Had there been adequate power supply and had the brassware industry been functional, the young would not have been forced to move out to Gujarat and Maharashtra for employment. Youths do not get jobs in UP also because of nepotism and casteism,” he said. The Prime Minister also accused the SP government of corruption, claiming bribe had to paid for getting a work done, from lodging a police complaint to securing jobs and pensions.

“If you want to lodge a police complaint or even if you don’t want to get it lodged at a police station, it’s fixed as to how much you have to pay. Similarly, for getting pensions, jobs and ration cards too, the rates are fixed,” he alleged.

“If you want to get rid of this, you have to defeat the SP, BSP and the Congress,” he said.

Attacking BSP supremo Mayawati, Modi said she had taken stones from Mirzapur for construction of her statues when she was in power. However, when an enquiry started, she claimed the stones were from Rajasthan.

“You tell me why she has so much hatred even for stones of Mirzapur. Why should you vote for such people at all?” he said.

Indo-Nepal border sealed a day before sixth phase of UP Polls

Mahrajganj(UP), March 3 (PTI): The Indo-Nepal border has been sealed, 24 hours before the polling in the sixth of the seven phased Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls begins today.

Voting for 49 Uttar Pradesh assembly seats will be held on March 4.

“The 84 km long Indo-Nepal border will be sealed 24 hours prior to the start of voting and will remain so till the end of polling on March 4. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) will enforce the sealing. Only emergency vehicles will be allowed across the border during this period,” said District Electoral Officer Virendra Kumar Singh.

Cameras have been installed on trade and transit points along India’s border with Nepal to prevent illegal movement of people during polling.

He said two such cameras have already been set up at Sonauli Indo-Nepal Border of Maharajganj district on India-Nepal border.

Five Assembly seats in the district- Siswa, Nautanwa, Frenda, Paniyara and Maharajganj – are going to polls in the penultimate phase-VI of UP Assembly polls on Saturday.