Lucknow, Sep 8: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said the situation in the state before 2017 was marked by poor law and order, widespread criminal activities, and the dominance of mafia elements, with ‘One District, One Mafia’ becoming its identity.

Addressing the two-day ‘UP Textile Conclave-2026’, the Chief Minister welcomed entrepreneurs, investors, exporters, traditional weavers, handloom operators, industry representatives, and young people associated with the textile sector.

“First of all, I extend a heartfelt welcome and greetings to all the distinguished entrepreneurs, investors and exporters from the textile sector across the country, as well as traditional weavers, handloom operators, all the dignitaries and young friends who see their future in this sector,” he said.

Highlighting Uttar Pradesh’s long-standing textile traditions, the Chief Minister said the state’s textile heritage had historical links with India’s cultural and economic development.

He said that when gifts of clothing were presented by the King of Kashi at Yudhishthira’s Rajasuya Yagya, ancient texts such as the Mahabharata made references to silk and pure cotton garments. Also referring to the period of Lord Ram’s exile, he said religious scriptures mention Mata Janaki receiving divine garments at a sage’s ashram.

“The textiles produced in India, particularly those made in Uttar Pradesh, were not only in demand in India but also in markets around the world,” he said.

“If you look at Roman culture or Greek culture, there was a huge demand there as well for these textiles made in India and Uttar Pradesh. This means that the tradition of sending these products from here to other places existed even then,” the Chief Minister said.

He also highlighted several major textile and manufacturing centres across the state, including Varanasi’s silk sarees, Bhadohi’s carpets, Lucknow’s chikankari, and Kanpur’s textile, leather, and industrial manufacturing ecosystem.

CM Adityanath also mentioned Agra’s footwear and allied manufacturing sector, Sitapur’s textile manufacturing capabilities, and Meerut’s sports goods industry and the potential for technical textiles.

“These are not merely textile clusters of Uttar Pradesh. They represent different facets of Uttar Pradesh’s textile heritage and industrial capabilities. These different facets visible across different regions draw our attention to the potential of the textile sector in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

Recalling the situation in Uttar Pradesh before 2017, Adityanath claimed the state’s law and order situation was in disarray and alleged that mafia groups had established parallel systems of governance in several districts.

“Friends, what the situation in Uttar Pradesh was like before 2017 is not hidden from anyone. Law and order in the state was in disarray,” he said.

“In every district, a parallel government run by the mafia operated. In other words, ‘One District, One Mafia’ had become the identity of Uttar Pradesh. Across the state, the industries of murder, extortion, illegal occupation, goon tax, and kidnapping were flourishing. Professional mafias and goons operated their own system parallel to the government,” he claimed.

He further alleged that the prevailing environment had affected the safety of women, traders and potential investors.

“At that time, neither daughters were safe, nor traders were safe. Investors would come from outside with dreams of doing business and return with a slip of paper from the mafia demanding payment,” Adityanath claimed.

The Chief Minister also alleged that festivals and celebrations could not be conducted peacefully because of frequent disturbances and riots.

“No festival or celebration could be held peacefully. In other words, disturbances would begin before the festivities. Across the state, there would be a major riot every third day, with the entire state engulfed in the flames of riots. Major riots took place in Bareilly, Kosi Kalan in Mathura, Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur on a large scale,” he said.

He said prolonged curfews and the closure of educational institutions and markets had a direct impact on economic activity.

“Curfews would remain in place for months. Schools and colleges would be closed. If there was a curfew, the markets would remain closed, and if the markets remained closed, business would inevitably come to a standstill. People could not even leave their homes. And when such a situation exists, the economy cannot move forward. A perception had taken hold,” the Chief Minister said.

He said Uttar Pradesh had also acquired a negative perception because of poor infrastructure and inadequate lighting in several areas.

“I always mention this point: before 2017, Uttar Pradesh had come to be perceived as a place where, once the roads became bad and darkness began as soon as evening arrived, you could assume that you had entered the borders of Uttar Pradesh. This was the situation in Uttar Pradesh before 2017,” he said.

Vadodara, Sep 8: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday unveiled and dedicated a series of rail, road, housing, water supply and urban development projects worth more than Rs 35,000 crore in Vadodara, with the completion of key sections of the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (WDFC) emerging as the central feature of the event.

Addressing the gathering, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said the projects would strengthen connectivity and logistics infrastructure while expanding access to housing, water supply and urban amenities across the state.

He welcomed PM Modi to Vadodara and said: “The Prime Minister had come to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for development works worth more than Rs 35,000 crore in a single day.”

The three WDFC sections dedicated to the nation cover 326 route kilometres and have been developed at a cost of more than Rs 20,700 crore.

They comprise Sanand (North)-Makarpura, New Umbergaon-New Saphale and New Saphale-Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA).

Their commissioning completes the WDFC across its full length and provides direct freight connectivity to JNPA, aimed at speeding up export-import cargo movement, reducing logistics costs and easing congestion on Mumbai’s railway network.

PM Modi also flagged off freight train services from New Sanand (North), New Makarpura, New Umbergaon and New JNPT, Mumbai.

A new passenger service between Vadodara and Tanda Road was also flagged off, while the Jobat-Tanda Road railway line, developed as part of the Chhota Udepur-Dhar project, was dedicated to the nation.

The line is intended to connect remote and tribal areas of Alirajpur with the national rail network. Patel said the Dedicated Freight Corridor would make the movement of Gujarat’s agricultural produce, industrial products and other goods faster and easier.

He also pointed to Vadodara’s role in the wider infrastructure network, referring to the Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya and the manufacturing facility for C-295 military transport aircraft as developments associated with the city.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stones for three railway projects covering 329 km and costing more than Rs 9,700 crore.

These include the third and fourth lines between Vadodara and Ratlam, gauge conversion of the Miyagam Karjan-Choranda-Malsar section and doubling of the Vishwamitri-Dabhoi section.

The projects are aimed at increasing passenger and freight capacity, reducing congestion and strengthening connectivity between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Three National Highway projects costing around Rs 1,780 crore were also included in the programme.

They cover six-laning of the Kamrej-Chalthan section of NH-48, additional structures including major bridges over the Tapi and Narmada on the Vadodara-Surat section of NH-48, and grade-separated structures at Abhava, Mindhola and Khajod junctions on NH-53.

Six-lane flyovers at Kandari Chokdi and Luvara Patia were also inaugurated. Projects of the state government worth around Rs 2,600 crore were also unveiled or inaugurated.

These include Phase II of the Vadodara Urban Development Authority Ring Road, a 110 MW floating solar project at Kadana Dam and a new Vadodara Municipal Corporation office, besides housing projects under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and a water-supply project for 11 villages in eastern Vadodara.

Patel also highlighted Gujarat’s housing and drinking-water programmes, saying more than 16.53 lakh houses had been provided to beneficiaries in urban and rural areas under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana’ and that drinking water had been extended through the ‘Nal Se Jal’ programme.

“The state had also sought to involve citizens in preparations for the Prime Minister’s visit through cleanliness and environmental activities. Sanitation workers and residents participated in cleaning roads, public places and surrounding areas, while 20 lakh saplings were distributed for plantation and other environmental activities,” he said.

Patel also referred to developments in space, railways, defence and indigenous manufacturing while describing what he called recent advances under the leadership of the Prime Minister.

He cited Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-I, India’s hydrogen-powered passenger train, the C-295 military transport aircraft, the commissioning of three indigenous naval warships and recent defence missile testing. He also said defence production had reached around Rs 1.78 lakh crore.

The Chief Minister said the state would continue to work towards the development of a ‘Viksit Gujarat’ as part of the broader goal of ‘Viksit Bharat @2047’.

His remarks came as the state hosted PM Modi for a programme combining major transport infrastructure with projects focussed on housing, water supply, renewable energy and urban development.

New Delhi, Sep 8: The Delhi Assembly, Sardar Patel Vidyalaya (SPV) and several government establishments in the national capital received bomb threats through email on Tuesday, officials said, prompting security agencies to immediately activate standard operating procedures and launch extensive checks at the affected locations.

The threats were reported during the morning hours, following which security agencies and emergency response teams were rushed to the locations as a precautionary measure. Officials said the areas were secured and detailed anti-sabotage checks were initiated to rule out any possible security threat.

Teams from the Delhi Police, bomb detection and disposal squads, dog units, and the Delhi Fire Services reached the locations and cordoned off the concerned areas as part of the standard security protocol followed after receipt of a bomb threat.

So far, nothing suspicious has been found at any of the locations searched by the security teams, officials said. The premises are being checked thoroughly, and authorities are continuing to monitor the situation as part of the precautionary arrangements.

Further investigation into the email and the source of the threat is underway.

The latest threat has come amid existing security concerns surrounding the Delhi Assembly, which has received similar bomb threats in the past.

Earlier, on August 14, multiple locations in Delhi, including the Delhi High Court, had received bomb threats, prompting heightened security arrangements in the national capital ahead of Independence Day.

The Delhi High Court had received the threat through email, with the message warning of an alleged blast at the court at 2.11 p.m. on August 15. The email was titled ‘BOMB Blast Delhi High Court @ 2:11PM’ and specifically mentioned the timing of the purported explosion.

The same email had also threatened explosions at district courts in Delhi at 3:11 p.m. on August 15, adding to security concerns in the national capital ahead of the Independence Day celebrations.

In addition to the High Court, five other locations had received bomb threats through phone calls. These included Jamnagar House, Jhandewalan Building, the MB Road Saket office, Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) office in Delhi Cantonment.