Eyes on 2019 LS polls: UP CM has dinner at Dalit's home

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a "chaupal" and dined at a Dalit's house in Pratapgarh on Monday night, in an effort to reach out to Dalits ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The chief minister took part in the "chaupal" (village meeting) in Kandhaipur Madhupur village and gave a patient hearing to problems of locals, saying benefits of various government schemes should reach every eligible individual.

Directing officials to take steps for immediate redressal of problems faced by common people, he asked them to earnestly carry out their work as government will not tolerate any laxity in this regard.

Giving an account of the various works being undertaken by both the Centre and state government, the chief minister interacted with locals to check the ground reality of schemes under the "Gram Swaraj Abhiyan". He later had dinner at Dayaram Saroj's house sitting cross legged on the ground along with locals.

Yogi Adityanath also will spend a night in a Dalit majority village on April 26 to listen to the problems and concerns of its residents.

Opposition parties have repeatedly targeted the BJP, accusing it of ignoring the interests of backward sections, a charge which the party has consistently rubbished.

The chief minister will visit Hasanpur on Thursday to address a public rally and will stay for the night in village Mehndipur under Hasanpur sub division about 25 km from here, Chetan Chauhan, a minister in the Adityanath government, said. Chauhan, who is the MLA from Nogawa, claimed it was for the first time an Uttar Pradesh chief minister would stay in a backward village and interact directly with its residents. According Chauhan, Adityanath's chopper will land at Hasanpur at about 2 pm and he will review the development work of the district.

Adityanath will take a meal at Mehndipur village and will stay for the night in 'Shishu Mandir' there to listen to the grievances of the Dalit community, he added.

District Magistrate, Amroha, Hemant Kumar said the administration was fully prepared of the CM's visit.