New Delhi, Feb 21 (UNI) Home Minister Amit Shah has expressed confidence over BJP winning the Uttar Pradesh polls, and said people in the state are supporting the party for improving law and order and implementing schemes for the poor. In an interview to Network18 Group, the Home Minister also slammed the SP and BSP for practicing caste based politics. Speaking about the Bharatiya Janata Party’s chances in the upcoming polls, the Minister said that, “If you look at surveys, the BJP is getting 230- 260 seats in this election. In 2017, the prediction was 238 seats, we won 325 seats. Perception is an important aspect in a survey, because people link their credibility with the surveys. Also, what the public tells the person who is doing the survey may not even be true. There are many contradictions.” “There are four big issues over which the people of UP have supported and strengthened us more than in the previous three elections. First is law and order. Second, gareeb kalyan. Third has been development, including access to drinking water and electricity. The fourth issue is the way we have improved the administration of Uttar Pradesh.” He said the BJP will win the polls with majority. “Three phases have gone by, others remain. I have carried out Jan Vishwas Yatras and Vijay Sankalp Yatras in every district of UP. I have done rallies in every district of the state. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP will win with full majority,” he said, as per a statement by the news channel. “Under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath, the BJP has been successful in winning the hearts of the people. Support and love for the Prime Minister is much higher today than it was in December 2013. This is the feeling on the ground. I know that the BJP will win with a majority in these elections. We will seal the election by hitting a boundary,” he added. During the interview the Home Minister also launched an attack against the opposition parties for practicing caste based politics. “The SP and BSP governments that worked on caste lines and dynasty never listened to the voice of the people. One government came and worked for one caste, another government worked for another caste. People had lost hope of ever getting justice. People had resigned themselves to this. But after change came with Modi ji in 2014, people started seeing hope in us and we have lived up to it,” he said in an interview to Network18. Drawing a contrast between Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government and the previous government led by Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, the Home Minister said, even getting FIRs registered was a “big deal” in Uttar Pradesh at one point and people had to move out of cities like Meerut to Delhi for a better future. “I have travelled by road to every district and block in UP from May 2013 to date. I can tell you that getting an FIR registered in UP was a big deal at one time. When the SP came to power, people of one community thought they had been given the power to do as they pleased. In west UP, buffaloes were taken from people’s homes and the farmers couldn’t do anything. I have actually seen that situation. Many people shifted from Meerut to Delhi so that their children could study. People were migrating from Meerut. Gangsters used to capture lands of residents worth crores,” he said. Shah also mentioned SP leaders like Azam Khan, Atiq Ansari and Mukhtar Ansari, and said this is the only time they are in jail. “The people of Uttar Pradesh couldn’t imagine at one time that people who used to harass them would be in jail. Today, people live in peace. There is no ‘bahubali’ and mafia in any district, something that was a permanent feature earlier. Property worth Rs 200 crore that had been grabbed by gangsters has now been confiscated from them. This is a huge achievement and people are acknowledging our work,” he said. Shah added during the interview to Network18 that under the BJP, women’s safety has also improved in Uttar Pradesh. “In Kanpur, I have seen girls out on the roads on Scooties in the middle of the night, and I’m so happy for them. I saw this for myself from my hotel window. This is a huge achievement and people are acknowledging our work. And it is translating into votes,” he said. The Home Minister also hit out at the SP and BSP for withdrawing UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) cases during their respective tenures. “The law and order issue is important. And now PM Modi has also spoken on terrorism. He spoke in Hardoi on the Ahmedabad blast case in which 38 accused have been sentenced to death. He said these terrorists were freed from jail during SP regime. Eleven such instances took place during the SP and BSP eras when UAPA and POTA cases were withdrawn. What do SP and BSP have to say about security in the country? They will have to answer the public,” he said