Deoria (Uttar Pradesh), Aug 29 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party, accusing its previous government of corruption and mismanagement while highlighting his government’s initiatives on women’s free bus travel, healthcare, infrastructure and law and order.
Speaking at a rally in Deoria, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the SP leadership had suddenly become active after the state government launched a free bus travel scheme for women on August 26.
“As we launched the free bus travel scheme on the 26th, the Samajwadi Party’s ‘Babua’ suddenly woke up from his slumber and hurriedly called a press conference. He completely forgot what he was supposed to say,” Yogi Adityanath claimed, taking a dig at Akhilesh Yadav.
He further mocked Akhilesh Yadav, saying, “This Samajwadi Party ‘Babua’ wakes up at noon, and even when his tutors try to explain things to him, he simply doesn’t understand. If someone wakes up at noon, their mind is bound to feel heavy and sluggish; they are left with nothing but irritability and an inability to listen.”
The Chief Minister then alleged that the previous Samajwadi Party government had indulged in large-scale financial irregularities in the construction of the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) in Lucknow.
“Let me give you an example of just how massive looters they are. There is the JPNIC, the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre in Lucknow. It was slated for construction. What was its initial estimated cost? Rs 200 crore. And how much did the Samajwadi Party end up spending? Rs 864 crore,” he said.
Yogi Adityanath alleged that despite the expenditure, the project remained incomplete. Yogi Adityanath alleged that the previous government had planned to spend another Rs 900 crore to Rs 1,000 crore from the state exchequer and subsequently hand over the facility to a private company.
“That is how much they spent, and yet it remained incomplete. And what was their ulterior motive behind this? They had another scheme: To spend Rs 900 crore to Rs 1,000 crore from the state exchequer and then have a ‘private limited company’ run this JPNIC, much like the Samajwadi Party itself operates as a private limited company,” Yogi Adityanath said.
According to Yogi Adityanath, the proposed facility would have included a hotel, gym, club and other amenities, with the earnings benefiting members of the Yadav family and their associates.
“It would have a hotel, a gym, a club and various other facilities, and all the earnings would go to their own families. Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav and their associates would benefit from it,” Yogi Adityanath alleged.
He accused the previous government of attempting to create a private enterprise using public funds and said the Samajwadi Party chief should apologise to the people.
“They were trying to create a private limited company involving their own people and loot the state treasury. Be thankful that the SP has survived; otherwise, it would meet the same fate that the Janata Dal once did and that fate is inevitable. The Samajwadi Party chief must apologise to the public,” Yogi said.
The Chief Minister also spoke at length about the state government’s efforts to control encephalitis, which had affected eastern Uttar Pradesh for decades.
“Encephalitis was not merely a disease; it was a sick mindset. It was the sick mentality of the Samajwadi Party and Congress governments of that time, a mentality that was devouring the innocent lives here while the authorities remained completely indifferent,” he said.
He alleged that successive governments had failed to adequately address the problem and claimed that more than 50,000 people had lost their lives to the disease over four decades.
“Over forty years, more than 50,000 innocent lives were lost. Not once did a Chief Minister from the Samajwadi Party or the Congress, nor a Prime Minister from the Congress, ever come here to see the situation. They never came to enquire or check on the well-being of the poor,” Yogi Adityanath claimed.
Yogi Adityanath also claimed that the state had witnessed a parallel system of mafia rule in the past, but asserted that his government had successfully dismantled it.
“The mafia has been crushed, wiped out completely. For those who threaten the safety of daughters and traders, there are only two places: either jail or hell; there is no third option,” he said.
Highlighting the government’s healthcare initiatives, he said, “It is no longer a case of ‘one district, one mafia’; now, it is ‘one district, one medical college’, which is why Deoria and Kushinagar now have medical colleges. Just as we have crushed the mafia, we have also eradicated diseases like encephalitis forever.”
The Chief Minister also highlighted the government’s law-and-order record, claiming that festivals in Uttar Pradesh are now being celebrated peacefully.
“No one can raise questions about Uttar Pradesh. Now, there are no disturbances before festivals, and there are no riots or clashes. Riots can no longer take place in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
Speaking about the free bus travel facility for women aged above 60, he said women had been allowed to travel free of cost in Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation buses along with one accompanying passenger.
Yogi Adityanath also stressed the importance of long working hours and commitment among elected representatives in ensuring development and security.
“When a Chief Minister works for 16–18 hours, only then can security be ensured. Only then will change be visible. And when MLAs work hard, they bring proposals. I now tell them to decide which bridges need to be built and submit the proposals immediately. All the works proposed for Deoria have now been approved,” he said.
He also claimed that Uttar Pradesh had undergone a significant transformation and no longer carried the negative image associated with the term “Bimaru” state.
“Now, no one feels embarrassed by the name of Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh has now built such a positive image that when you travel anywhere in the country or the world and say that you are from Deoria, Bhatpar Rani, Salempur, Lar, Bhatni, or anywhere else in Uttar Pradesh, people try to come forward and embrace you,” he claimed.
He added that the people of the state were now proud of Uttar Pradesh and its development.
“The happiness on their faces shows that they are now proud of Uttar Pradesh. They also wish that they had been born in Uttar Pradesh so that they, too, could experience the joy and development of the state, like Ram Rajya,” the Chief Minister said.
–IANS
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