"For SP, family was the state; for me, entire state is family": Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP), alleging that its government prioritised family interests over the state.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP), alleging that its government prioritised family interests over the state. “For the Samajwadi Party, the family was the state, but for me, the entire state is my family,” Adityanath said.

Targeting the previous SP government over recruitment, the Chief Minister said, “Earlier, job advertisements would not even be released. But whenever an advertisement was issued, concerns would emerge among students preparing for competitive examinations.” “Parents somehow managed to fund their children's education, but students would worry about how they could secure a position in competitive examinations without paying money,” he said.

Adityanath alleged that the uncle-nephew duo would set out to collect money as soon as job advertisements were released. “As soon as a job advertisement was issued, the uncle-nephew duo would set out for extortion,” he said, alleging that appointment letters were given to people who had not even appeared for examinations.

“The young people who prepared for examinations in Prayagraj felt cheated, and the courts had to intervene by issuing stays,” the Chief Minister said. He also accused the SP government of appointing an ineligible person to head a recruitment commission, alleging that the move had caused injustice to young people.

Referring to the law-and-order situation in Prayagraj before 2017, Adityanath said, “There was a time when Prayagraj was under a shadow. The mafia had put the city's identity at risk, and even the administration and judiciary were helpless. Today, under the BJP government, that mafia has been reduced to dust.” The Chief Minister asserted that mafia members could no longer illegally occupy property under the BJP government.

“No goon or mafia can cast an eye on anyone's property or occupy it. If anyone attempts to do so, even the wealth accumulated by their forefathers will be taken away from them, and we will reclaim it,” he said. He added that land freed from mafia encroachment would be used to provide housing for the poor.

“Before 2017, any land identified by the mafia would end up belonging to Atiq and Ashraf. That is no longer the case. The land freed from mafia occupation will be used for the poor,” Adityanath said. Claiming that his government had provided more jobs in its two terms than the total appointments made during the SP's four terms in power, the Chief Minister said, “I acknowledge that I have provided nine lakh jobs.”

“The results for 32,000 police personnel have been announced, and the process for recruiting 42,000 home guards has been completed. Several other departments will also provide jobs soon,” he said. Taking a swipe at Akhilesh Yadav, Adityanath added, “The SP national president can keep counting. We are going to provide jobs to one lakh young people over the next six months.”

The remarks came as Adityanath laid the foundation stone for a housing project comprising 600 flats in Prayagraj. (ANI)