Aligarh: Uttar Pradesh is no longer a 'goonda raj' state due to double-engine government under Centre and state BJP rule, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi after laying the foundation stone of Maharaja Mahendra Pratap Singh University in Aligarh.

At the outset, PM Modi said, "Seeing the new university, the new defence corridor and other development works in Aligarh, Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh would surely have been very happy."

Mentioning Maharaja Mahendra Pratap Singh's contribution to nation-building, PM Modi alleged that previous governments have ignored national icons, whose contributions towards the nation had been immense.

"Many of the national icons, whose contributions towards the nation had been immense was ignored and forgotten over the decades since independence by previous governments. But today, be it Raja Mahedra Pratap Singh ji or Suhel Dev ji, or many others, are been given the importance they truly deserved," he said. 

He urged young people to read and know more about these leaders and their immense contribution to our freedom struggle and social reforms.

Read:  PM Modi lays foundation of Maharaja Mahendra Pratap Singh university in Aligarh

Uttar Pradesh is no longer a 'goonda raj' state due to double-engine government under Centre and state BJP rule, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Uttar Pradesh is benefitting greatly from the double-engine government at the state and Centre. There was a time when UP was considered a limitation and hindrance to India's growth, but due to dozens of projects being done in the state, UP has totally changed its image and is today fuelling India's growth," PM Modi said.

"There was a time when UP was infamous for its gunda-raj, mafia-raj and free run of gangsters, but under the Yogi government, all this has come to an absolute stop. Gangsters, mafias and gundas are kept where they belong - behind bars," he said.

"Aligarh is renowned for manufacturing locks. It has kept India safe over the decades. While that is still true and has been since the 20th century, in the 21st century Aligarh will keep India's borders safe by contributing immensely to the defence sector."

The establishment of a Defense Industrial Corridor in Uttar Pradesh was announced by the Prime Minister while inaugurating the UP Investors Summit in Lucknow on February 21, 2018. A total of 6 nodes – Aligarh, Agra, Kanpur, Chitrakoot, Jhansi and Lucknow – have been planned in the Defense Industrial Corridor. 

In the Aligarh Node, the land allocation process has been completed and land has been allotted to 19 firms, who will invest Rs 1245 crore in the node.