Azamgarh, June 20 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while inaugurating the Gorakhpur Link Expressway in Salarpur, Azamgarh on Friday, launched a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP), accusing it of having links with Mumbai’s notorious underworld outfit, D Company, under the guise of development.

Without naming anyone directly, CM Yogi said, “This is the same Azamgarh that made him MP, yet he couldn’t build even a university or an expressway. In 2016, they floated tenders for a 110-meter-wide expressway, but those involved looted the project and now pretend to be honest.”

Accusing previous regimes of compromising security, Yogi said, “Earlier, in the name of development, these people nurtured D Company. Our government has reserved tickets to hell for such people. Anyone who poses a threat to public security will have their ticket booked in advance.”

He asserted that the double-engine government of the BJP is working towards making India a developed nation by 2047.

“Eight years ago, people feared even taking the name of Azamgarh. Today, it is a symbol of mainstream development,” he said, adding that law and order and safety for citizens, especially women and businessmen, have greatly improved in Azamgarh.

Highlighting the state’s progress, CM Yogi said Uttar Pradesh is creating a unique synergy between ‘Virasat’ (tradition) and ‘Vikas’ (development).

“The grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya, redevelopment of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, Maa Vindhyavasini Dham, Chitrakoot Dham, and the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj are all testaments to this.”

He further emphasised the rapid growth in infrastructure. “Before 2017, UP had just two airports. Today, there are 16, with four of them upgraded to international standards. We are creating opportunities so that our youth can get employment within the state.”

The 91.35-km-long Gorakhpur Link Expressway connects Jaitpur on NH-27 in Gorakhpur to the Purvanchal Expressway in Salarpur, Azamgarh. It is a fully access-controlled four-lane expressway — expandable to six lanes — passing through Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, and Azamgarh districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Constructed at a total cost of Rs 7,283.28 crore (including land acquisition), the expressway has been built in two phases.

The first phase was built from Jaitpur (Gorakhpur) to Phulwaria (Ambedkar Nagar) — 48.317 km.

The second phase was built from Phulwaria to Salarpur (Azamgarh) — 43.035 km

The expressway is expected to significantly boost connectivity and economic growth in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

–IANS

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