Noida was once known as “centre of corruption” but it has now transformed into “centre of business” due to efforts of the double-engine government of the BJP, senior party leader Rajnath Singh said in Gautam Buddh Nagar on Tuesday.

Criminals once dominated this region in western Uttar Pradesh, even forcing people to migrate but all that has now become a thing of the past, the defence minister also said as he slammed previous non-BJP governments in the state.

Rajnath was speaking at an election rally at Bisaha village in Greater Noida while canvassing support for BJP’s Gautam Buddh Nagar Lok Sabha candidate Mahesh Sharma ahead of the April 26 voting.

“You people know very well about Noida. There was a time when Noida was the centre of corruption for the politicians of Uttar Pradesh. It was said for the officers, too, that if there is any biggest centre of corruption, it is Noida,” he said.

“But today I can say with pride that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Noida is no longer a centre of corruption but has become a centre of business,” he added.

“The kind of fear that criminals had in this region, the kind of dominance they had, it was even reported that some people were migrating from here. All these are now things of the past,” the BJP leader said hailing the double-engine government in the state.

He said today if there is any place known not only in Uttar Pradesh but in entire India for tourism, law and order, then it is Noida. Today, as far as Uttar Pradesh is concerned, this state is not known for the criminal records but for the huge amount of investment that is coming from every corner of India and other countries of the world, the excellent law and order system, the shining expressways, he added.

Rajnath, a former UP chief minister, also took credit for the Noida International Airport coming up in the Jewar area of Gautam Buddh Nagar.

“Jewar Airport is nearby here. Sisters and brothers, when I was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, I remember very well that I first went to the Government of India with the proposal of Jewar Airport,” he said.

“In between, other parties formed governments in Uttar Pradesh and the Jewar Airport was put off. But I really want to express my gratitude to PM Modi and CM Yogi who resolved that this land of Jewar will get the largest airport of India and today the work of Jewar Airport is progressing rapidly,” he  added.

Rajnath said he does not need to go into much detail about the developments that have taken place in the state as the people know it well. He recalled that Uttar Pradesh was once counted as a poor state, but no longer so.