'SP has turned Azamgarh into stronghold of terrorism'

Azamgarh, Apr 25: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday alleged that the Samajwadi Party had turned Azamgarh, which was once known in the field of education and literature, into a "stronghold of terrorism".

The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have crime in their DNA, he said, while addressing an election meeting here in support of BJP's Azamgarh Lok Sabha seat candidate Dinesh Lal Yadav 'Nirahua'.

"Once Azamgarh was known in the field of education and literature but the Samajwadi Party turned it into a stronghold of terrorism," he said.

The SP and the BSP through mischievous means made Azamgarh "a fortress of terror and crime to defame it and we have come to pull it out of it," the chief minister said.

They have crime in their DNA and "that is why they support cases like the Batla House (encounter case)", he said

"We must link Azamgarh to art and culture and not with terrorism and crime," said Adityanath, who was barred from campaigning for 72 hours by the Election Commission for his 'Ali-Bajrang Bali" remark.

He said when he was attacked here, people stood by him.

On September 7, 2008, one person was killed and six others were injured in an attack here on the convoy of Adityanath, who was then a BJP MP.

The incident took place when he was going to address a rally.

"We are trying to link Azamgarh with capital Lucknow through the Purvanchal Expressway so that an atmosphere conducive to business is created here," he said at Thursday's rally.

The chief minister said a decision has been taken to set up a university here to encourage education.

Referring to the first three phases of polling, he claimed that the BJP is going to form a government with a massive majority. Everyone wants Narendra Modi to be prime minister once again, Adityanath said.

In 2014, the party had won 73 of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh while this time the target has been fixed to win 74 seats and the 74th seat is Azamgarh, he said.