LUCKNOW, July 26 -- Hitting out at the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Etawah and Mainpuri, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said the two districts have shed their pre-2017 image of fear and insecurity, crediting the BJP government's zero-tolerance approach towards crime for restoring dignity and attracting development.

Etawah is considered a Samajwadi Party bastion, while Mainpuri remains party's traditional stronghold. Addressing separate public functions there, Yogi said both districts which had long suffered from an identity crisis are now witnessing progress and renewed respect for their residents.

"Before 2017, who had created an identity crisis in Etawah and Mainpuri? People used to fear taking these routes. The name itself evoke...