Families on land reclaimed from gangster Atiq Ahmed to celebrate Diwali on PM’s birthday

Prayagraj's 76 PM Awas Yojana flats, built on land reclaimed from Atiq Ahmed, will be lit with diyas on the eve of PM Modi's birthday. The event has sparked a political row, with the BJP highlighting welfare for the poor and SP accusing the government of selective action and communal politics.

A piece of land in Prayagraj that was under the illegal occupation of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed is set to witness a Diwali-like celebration today. The 76 flats built there under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana will be illuminated by their residents on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday.

Families living in the flats, who received permanent homes under the housing scheme, are preparing to decorate their houses with diyas and lights and celebrate the occasion. The beneficiaries said they are happy that poor families now have a roof over their heads and that celebrating the Prime Minister's birthday with Diwali-style celebrations is a good thing.

The development has also acquired a political dimension, with the BJP and Samajwadi Party trading allegations over the significance of the event and the government's action against land encroachment.

'HAPPY THAT POOR HAS A ROOF'

Beneficiaries living in the flats built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana told India Today that they were happy to have a roof over their heads.

They said celebrating the Prime Minister's birthday was a good thing and that they would also celebrate Diwali by lighting diyas at their homes.

NO DISCRIMINATION IN HOUSE ALLOTMENT, SAYS BJP MLA

Former Uttar Pradesh minister and BJP MLA from Prayagraj's City West constituency, Siddharth Nath Singh, told India Today that the land where Atiq Ahmed had allegedly established an illegal occupation has now been turned into housing for the poor.

Singh said that when Atiq Ahmed was alive, he was in jail, and that the state government subsequently cleared the land and implemented the vision provided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Singh also highlighted that Muslims are among the 76 beneficiaries living in the flats. He cited this while arguing that the government's welfare schemes were not implemented on the basis of religion.

He described the housing scheme as more than assistance, saying it provides a solution by ensuring that poor families do not have to sleep without a proper roof over their heads.

According to Singh, 76 people have received flats at the site. He said the beneficiaries themselves called him and expressed their desire to light a diya in every house.

"I said, okay," Singh said, adding that diyas are being delivered to the residents along with sweets.

He referred to the slogan of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas" and asked how such an approach could be described as communal when Muslims had also received the benefits.

Taking aim at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Singh said the party's PDA slogan was itself communal and alleged that it did not speak of "Sabka Saath". He said the party had spoken about backward classes, Dalits and minorities and claimed that it had now started talking about Brahmins.

Singh further took a swipe at Yadav over the colours associated with different social groups and said that, as the election approaches, SP leaders could be seen wearing caps and lungis. He described this as the "character" of Akhilesh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Manoj Kaka accused the BJP of encouraging communal behaviour in Uttar Pradesh.

Kaka said that the government should not limit action against land mafias to selected cases. He challenged the government to take action against major land mafias across Uttar Pradesh, including those in Lucknow, Jaunpur and Mirzapur, and distribute the recovered land among poor people.

"If you really have the courage to take action against land mafias, you should tell us who has occupied the most land in Lucknow," Kaka said.

He added that if the government also seized land from such alleged mafias in places including Jaunpur and Mirzapur and distributed it among the poor, the Samajwadi Party would praise the move.

Kaka also accused the BJP of promoting communalism and said the party could be a "hero of communalism" but not of "socialism, equality, compassion, affection or the Constitution."