Yogi releases report card ahead of Assembly polls

Lucknow: Asserting that Uttar Pradesh has undergone a complete transformation under his government, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday that there have been no riots since 2017, strict action has been taken against the mafia and the state is in the frontline of implementing welfare schemes, ensuring the ease of doing business and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Making public his government's report card months before facing the assembly polls, the chief minister also hit out at the opposition, saying they were busy building their houses when they were in power, indulged in corruption and nepotism, caused suffering to the sugarcane farmers and used to see centres of faith like Ayodhya from a communal point of view.

"In the 2022 Assembly elections, BJP will cross 350 seats (out of 403 seats), and there should be no doubt on this," the chief minister said at a press conference and stressed that his government has fulfilled every promise mentioned in the Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra in 2017.

"The opposition should read it. Had the opposition attended our training camps, they would have learnt something, and would have got wisdom," he remarked.

Uttar Pradesh is now number one in implementing 44 central schemes be it the PM Awas Yojna or construction of toilets in the households and its image is no longer liked with riots and lawlessness due to effective and transparent governance, Adityanath said.

"Unlike them (previous governments), we did not make luxurious houses for ourselves. Our government focused on building houses for the poor," he said, taking a veiled dig at his predecessor Akhilesh Yadav.

"Government bungalows were demolished, and there was a competition to build houses for themselves as well as huge 'havelis' (mansions). But the four-and-half years were dedicated to good governance. And we did not build houses for ourselves, but for 42 lakh poor people of the state," he said.

He said criminals were firmly dealt with irrespective of their caste, religion and social status to provide a safe and secure environment in the state. "UP remained free from any riots during four-and-half years unlike in the past when there used to be communal clashes every 3-4 days," the chief minister said.

He also claimed the government displayed sensitivity at every level.

Facing criticism over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the chief minister pointed out that the state has the highest number of tests and vaccinations and is among those with the lowest positivity rates.

He said the investors' confidence in the state is growing and UP has emerged as number two in the country in terms of ease of doing business.

Accusing the previous SP government of shuffling officials frequently, Adityanath said, "Transfer and posting had assumed the shape of an industry in the previous (SP) government. Every post was sold.

"Earlier, the officials were shuffled like a pack of cards. But in the past four-and-half years, no person can level allegations of exchange of money for posting."

A booklet titled 'Vikaas kee lahar, har gaav har shahr' which listed achievements of the UP government was also released on the occasion. Among other things, it claimed that 4.50 lakh youth have been given government jobs.

"UP which was considered an obstacle in the path of development, the same UP is number one in implementing 44 central scheme," Adityanath said.

The UP chief minister said the centres of faith were given due honour under his government.

"However, the opposition parties used to see them from the communal point of view. They always remained apprehensive about organising Deepotsav in Ayodhya, and thought that if they do it, they will get the label of being communal," he said. He also said that UP is among the leading states in the country that have prepared a plan to implement the National Education Policy.

Some of the achievements of the BJP government mentioned in the booklet are loan waiver worth Rs 36,000 crore to 86 lakh farmers, payment of Rs 1.44 lakh crore to sugarcane farmers and free ration to 15 crore people under Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan

Ann Yojana.