Shootouts a bid to usher in Ram Rajya: UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya

ALLAHABAD: Uttar Pradesh deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya has sought to downplay criticism on the growing number of encounter killings in UP+ , saying eliminating criminals is a step towards setting up a “Ram Rajya”. “UP is not the only state where steps are being taken at a grand scale to ensure law and order.

Our priority is not to kill them (criminals). But if armed men attack cops, they will be fired back at. The aim is to eliminate evil and ensure a peaceful atmosphere, that is ‘Ram Rajya’,” Maurya told TOI on Sunday. Since BJP came to office in March last year, 1,240 encounters have taken place in which 40 criminals have been killed and 305 injured. “The question is: Do we want to see intimidating men in UP moving around ith a rifle in public places?” he asked, adding that in the recently concluded investors’ summit, business leaders expressed satisfaction about the steps taken by the government.

Maurya defended Tiranga Yatras as a “freedom to express nationalism” in the wake of Kasganj violence. “The violence was unfortunate and the killing was disturbing. However, these yatras are freedom of expression. Whether they take place on January 26 or other important days, they are committed to the nation. It is incorrect to question their relevance,” he said.


Maurya is campaigning in Phulpur, a seat that also goes to by-poll with Gorakhpur on March 11 and was represented by him in 2014. The 47-year-old did not dwell upon whether the government was making a concerted effort to build a Ram Temple in Ayodhya. “Ayodhya is now entirely a Supreme Court matter and we are seeing progress in the involvement of Babri petitioners and Ran Janmbhabhoomi Trust.

Let the court take a call with parties involved. Our commitment can be seen from the fact that PM Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone of a temple in Abu Dhabi+ .” he said.