Reminding Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his pre-poll promise to implement the "Gujarat model" in Uttar Pradesh, state minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Sunday said he should ban liquor in UP to open new avenues for development.
"During his election meetings in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Modi had promised to implement the Gujarat model in the state. I remind him of his promise and request him to ban liquor in the state to open new avenues for development," Rajbhar said, addressing a women's conference organised by his Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP).
No party had raised the issue of banning liquor in the state, the minister said, and urged the women not to vote for those who distributed liquor ahead of elections.
The SBSP, an ally of the BJP, has four MLAs in the Uttar Pradesh assembly and party chief Rajbhar is a cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath government.
Denying reports that he had some differences with the chief minister, Rajbhar said, "He is my captain and I follow his directions."
On SP, BSP and Congress coming closer to form an alliance, he said, "They used to loot the people separately, now they are planning to do the same unitedly. The people will reject them and make Modi the prime minister again."