Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday accused opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, of dividing the society on the basis of caste by pursuing the policy of "appeasement". He said the BJP did not allow appeasement to flourish but focused on the empowerment of the people.

"The people of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress used to divide the society on the basis of caste by following the policy of appeasement. Not only this, a particular family used to be given permission to loot (people). Today, with the spirit of 'sabkaa saath, sabkaa vikaas', the benefits of the schemes are reaching people without discrimination," Adityanath said.

"We did not allow appeasement to flourish, but focused on the empowerment of the society and today its results are coming to the fore," he added. The chief minister was addressing an election rally here in favour of BJP candidates for the ongoing urban local bodies' elections.

He said when the country became independent in 1947, not many people could celebrate the occasion. "But, today every Indian joined together to celebrate the Amrit Mahotsav of independence under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

"In the first year of India's Amrit Mahotsav of Independence, India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is currently chairing the G-20, which is a group of 20 big countries in the world where 65 per cent of the world's population lives and that have control over more than 50 per cent of the world's resources.

The G-20 also has the right to more than 90 per cent of the world's patents," the chief minister said. Not only this, during the Russia-Ukraine war, Indian citizens were evacuated from Ukraine by the government, he said. India also recently launched 'Operation Kaveri' to rescue its citizens stranded in violence-hit Sudan, he added.