UP has to change for India to progress: Modi

Lucknow, Jan 2 (IANS) Hitting out at the Samajwadi Party and BSP for "banishing" development from Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged the people to rise above caste and vote for progress.

Addressing a rally here which he said was the biggest of his life, Modi, without taking names, ridiculed the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the BSP and asserted that when the entire opposition was clamouring for his head, he was determined to end corruption.

"There is this party, which for the last 15 years has been struggling to establish their son as an acceptable leader," Modi said targeting Congress and its Vice President Rahul Gandhi.

"There is another, which is busy trying to settle its ill-gotten money in various banks and escape scrutiny," he said, in an apparent reference to Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party. And he targeted the ruling Samajwadi Party by saying: "Then there is this third party which is busy trying to save their family from breaking up."

"In the past few weeks, we have seen bitter foes and arch rivals like the Samajwadi Party and BSP come together to seek my removal.

"When they are all clamouring to remove Modi, I am saying remove corruption and black money," he said, pointing to his November 8 decision to demonetise Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes that caused an unprecedented cash crunch.

Claiming that development work was carried out by the BJP when it ruled Uttar Pradesh until it lost power 14 years ago, Modi accused successive governments of indulging in politics at the cost of progress.

"Parties should not play politics with the poor, voters and farmers but in UP politics comes in the way of development.

"It pains me when I see how governments in the state have functioned. Even for building a road, they first measure political considerations. Development is not their preference. The Centre in the last two and a half years provided Rs 2.5 lakh crore to the state. Had this money been properly utilised, UP's condition wouldn't be like it is now," he said.

Calling on the people to vote for BJP in the coming assembly elections, Modi said development of Uttar Pradesh was imperative if the country had to progress.

"We want India to march ahead, want poverty to be eliminated, illiteracy to end, diseases to end. But all these dreams will be fulfilled only when the fortune of UP is changed. For India to progress, UP has to progress."

He pointed to the poor law and order in the state, lack of security for women and land grabbing.

"Rise above caste politics and vote for development," said Modi.

He lashed out at the BSP for finding "politics" in the recently launched BHIM mobile app dedicated to Bhim Rao Ambedkar.

On demonetisation, Modi said the money deposited in the banks would be used for the welfare of the people.

"The poor in the state have been looted for long, the middle class marginalised for long... Time has come to change all this and the change will begin in Uttar Pradesh."