Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Speech At Rally In Uttar Pradesh's Meerut: Highlights

Meerut: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kick-started his Uttar Pradesh election campaign and addressed a rally in Meerut. The BJP hopes to repeat its 2014 Lok Sabha performance, riding on the Modi wave which got them 72 of the state's 80 seats. Its contest in the assembly elections beginning on February 11 is against the Samajwadi Party led by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in alliance with the Congress spearheaded by Rahul Gandhi. The young duo has been campaigning aggressively in the state and was recently seen together at a 'rath yatra' in Lucknow. The BJP has not yet declared its chief ministerial candidate. It is relying on its star campaigner PM Modi and the anti-incumbency. It also hopes to gain from the infighting in Samajwadi's first family which saw Akhilesh Yadav take party control from his father and SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav in a bitter takeover.

Here are highlights of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech:

• I am fortunate to have stepped on the holy land of Meerut. The 1857 independence struggle began in Meerut.
• I am fortunate to have the opportunity to kick start my UP campaign from Meerut.
• That time the fight to remove British, this time its fight to remove poverty.
• The fight this time is against Mafia, the goons and the ones raping our sisters and mothers.
• Uttar Pradesh has pure food; our hard working farmers and people with a strong will.
• But we can't let UP be how it has been for years. What is the reason UP youngsters have to leave their family and friends and live in slums in cities.
• Uttar Pradesh made me the Prime Minister.
• It has been 2.5 years. Is there at blot on Modi's name?
• Have I done anything that has harmed the nation, lowered its reputation?
• UP gave me love and I have taken India's reputation to new heights. But I still have to pay UP's debt
• In UP, no matter how much good I want to do, but the good that I sent from Delhi will get stuck in Lucknow.
• Till the time we don't send these people home, what I am sending from Delhi will not reach you.
• Meerut is that land of freedom fighters. The people here, the sportsmen, give their lives to promote the name of their country.
• Meerut gives the power to the rest of the country to fight.
• But what condition is Meerut in?
• What is the reason of these daily murders, innocent traders are being killed?
• But this is not just Meerut. In UP, there's no case against murderers.
• Do you want to save UP? The respect of sisters and mothers?
• See how the Congress were taking out rath yatras and abused SP. They used to say SP has destroyed the state.
• What happened overnight that you (Congress) are now hand-in-hand with SP?
• I have seen many political alliances. The parties who used to look for excuses to abuse each other.
• They are now hugged tight saying, 'save me', 'save me'.
• The people who can't save themselves, how will they save UP?
• Do these people care about UP's future? This UP election is BJP's fight against scams.
• By scam I mean, S- Samajwadi (Party) , C - Congress, A- Akhilesh (Yadav), M - Mayawati.
• UP, do you want SCAM or BJP? SCAM or UP's progress?
• BJP's fight is against SCAM.
• Till the time you don't vote SCAM out, UP will not see good days.
• I want to ask SP leaders, and the people in alliance with them and I want to say this to people of UP - No matter how much I try to help UP from Delhi, but if the UP government does not have the will, the money will either be siphoned off or will be wasted lying dormant.
• These people don't want to help UP, they just want to save their government.
• SP leaders were saying these people are khanan mafia, goons. So why is the SP forced to give these people tickets?
• To ensure that people get aid in sickness, the Centre gave 4,000 crore to UP government. It saddens me to tell you that in 2014-2015, they were not even able to spend it all, and they could not even give a count of the money they spent.
• Then in 2015-2016, the fund was increased to 7,000 crore, they could not spend more than 2,800 crore.
• The SP should tell us the reason? They were just waiting for their vote bank to benefit.
• Do the sick have a caste? This is the reason why UP's fate is stalled.
• The Centre made an amrit yojna for electrification UP was given 7,200 crores. The year has passed, how much was spent, 400 crores.
• New Delhi sends the money but SP does not know how to spend on development.
• It's not that UP government did not want to take the money out? But it is Modi asking questions and looking at minute details. The government is Lucknow is a bump, it has to be removed.
• Are you satisfied with Swachh programme? For Meerut?
• Should the program not go on? Will cleanliness not eradicate diseases?
• The SP is talking about chacha, mama or other relatives. What has become of UP?
• UP has made me the PM. So I say, if you want to change the fate of UP, change the government, the fate will follow.
• After 70 years of independence, should people not have their own houses?
• Tell me, will you always do politics? Whom to elevate and join hands with?
• These people only used to think of their family. And now they only think of the seat.
• I congratulate Kashav Prasad Maurya and all other candidates.
• They have said as soon as the BJP government comes to power, they will waive off loans of all farmers. I will monitor this from Delhi.
• My sugarcane farmer does the hard work. The sugar mill owners are fat, but my farmer has nothing to gain.
• My government in UP will clear dues within 14 days.
• I had promised the sugarcane farmers that once we form the government in Delhi, I will take the matter of dues in my hands and release 22,000 crore.
• I want to ask the UP government what was the reason why sugarcane were not paid their dues. We put 99 per cent of the money in the farmers' bank account.
• I want to ask the UP government, what is your relation with the sugar mill owners.
• Don't let these people be in the government even for a minute.
• Farmers are given the cost of 60 per cent of their produce by state governments in Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, MP etc.
• But in UP, the government only buys 3 per cent and for the rest, farmers are left at the markets' mercy.
• For years, the army veterans were fooled for 40 years. The politicians did live shows and deceived them. We gave them OROP.
• There's a government at the Centre which knows how to live and die for its soldiers who live and die for the country
• The environment was such that terrorists used to enter our borders and kill our soldiers in the garb of the night.
• Even if the soldiers wanted to fire, they could not, such was the environment.
• So happened surgical strikes. Government all over the world are figuring out how such a big operation was done quietly.
• We gave a befitting reply to Pakistan through surgical strikes.
• A veteran soldier told me that he has one wish: Give me a posting on border with Pakistan. One more surgical strike; Before I die, I want to pay the debts of my motherland.
• But the leaders of our country started asking questions - questing the Army.
• Did you strike? Did you go inside? Some said even if you did, how come none of the Indian soldiers died?
• The people who have stooped to this level, should they be allowed to do politics?
• People in UP need to progress, women need to be given safety. Hence, a change in UP is needed.
• Some people in UP are very tensed. They had gathered money full of rooms. On November 8, the money they had hidden away for 70 years was forced to be deposited in banks.
• And now they are worried that the source of that money will be brought to light.
• I knew all the people with money will become my enemies now. They have joined hands and are saying that Modi has looted us, we'll make him fall.
• Tell me. Should corruption be eliminated? Till the time I am here, I will not sit quietly, neither will I let these people sit.
• Not matter the alliances, I will do this one job of ending corruption.
• Even in the budget, we did everything for the poor and middle class.
• I don't want to fight in streets, I want to fight the heavyweights, the powerful.
• Give me your blessings to take UP to new heights.