Varanasi: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for transforming Gujarat into a model state and ensuring India’s emergence as a global power during his tenure as the state CM and later as Prime Minister.Addressing a public meeting at Jagatpur organised by the BJP to mark the completion of 25 years of Modi’s leadership since he assumed office as Gujarat CM on Oct 7, 2001, Yogi said Modi took charge at a time when the state was reeling under the devastation caused by the Bhuj earthquake.“Gujarat was shattered, aftershocks continued for months, and people were worried about the future of the state. Under Modiji’s charismatic leadership, Gujarat recovered miraculously and emerged as a model state,” Yogi said.He added that elements trying to exploit the situation and disturb security were dealt with firmly. According to him, Modi’s administrative experience in Gujarat later shaped India’s journey towards greater security, prosperity and global recognition.Yogi said Uttar Pradesh had also benefited from Modi’s guidance. Referring to the law and order situation before the BJP came to power in the state, he said that a decade ago, the mafia could grab any land they set their eyes on, and people lived in fear.“There was a time when if a mafia stood on a piece of land, it was considered his. Traders lived in fear, daughters could not step out after sunset, and disturbances would begin before festivals. Uttar Pradesh had become a picture of anarchy,” he said.Yogi claimed that under Modi’s guidance, the mafia network in the state had been crushed. He said projects such as Kashi Vishwanath Dham, the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Maa Vindhyavasini Corridor, the grand Maha Kumbh, and the renewed vibrancy of Mathura-Vrindavan had become symbols of a new Uttar Pradesh in a new India.Congratulating Modi on completing 25 years in public office, Yogi said the entire country was celebrating his continuous journey of service. He described the journey from Vadnagar to Kashi as a moment to honour Modi’s commitment to “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat”.He also referred to bikers who travelled through 10 states, carrying water from Kashi Vishwanath and the Ganga to Hatkeshwar Mahadev and bringing water from Gujarat’s rivers to offer at the Lord Vishwanath temple.Yogi expressed confidence that under the leadership of BJP president Nitin Nabin, the energy of youth would help make India a developed nation by 2047. He said the BJP’s Seva Sankalp campaign, being held from Sept 17 to Oct 17 under the party’s leadership, was gaining momentum.Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Vadodara MP and BJYM national president Hemang Joshi, Union minister of state for finance and BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary, Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, along with several ministers, MLAs and party leaders, were present.