Yogi Adityanath invokes Ambedkar, Vajpayee on completing one year in office

Signals taking all communities along in backdrop of bypoll defeat

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday invoked dalit leader Bhimrao Ambedkar and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the first anniversary of his government to stress on the self-ordained mission of taking all communities along on the path of development.

In backdrop of humiliating defeat in Gorakhpur and Phulpur parliamentary bypoll at the hands of the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party combine, Adityanath said his government had espoused social justice ethos of Ambedkar by deciding to supply equitable power to all districts in a non-partisan manner against uninterrupted power supply to only a few ‘VIP’ district in the previous regime.

Quoting a poetry by Vajpayee, one of the founding members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the CM exhorted party leaders and workers for diligently working for the people even in the face of adversaries.

In his lengthy speech, Adityanath said one year was insufficient for any significant milestone in a large state like UP, which had long been allegedly subjected to anarchy, mis-governance, corruption etc under previous rules.

“The process of development had come to a halt in UP, when we came to power. However, we took up the challenge with ‘team spirit’ and have tirelessly been working towards actualising our poll manifesto and realising the aspirations of people,” he added while recalling the motto of PM Narendra Modi of good governance and pro-people policies.

He alleged UP’s politics was infamous for being divisive and centred around family, caste, religion, regionalism etc, but his government had rid the state of socioeconomic ills. “When we assumed power, state exchequer was empty and there was not enough to pay salaries of government employees. The farmers were committing suicide, investors were fleeing, youth were disenchanted and there was brazen VIP culture.”

He listed the various achievements of his government, including crop loan waiver of Rs 360 billion, even in the face of financial constraints. “We curbed wasteful expenses to provide succour to farmers.”

Inducing humour during his address, Adityanath said some in the opposition were fearful of the ‘monkey’ but the simian would definitely put afire the ‘Lanka’ of corruption. He said the government would provide 1.1 million houses to the poor and connect all the tehsils and blocks with 2-lane roads.
 

“Out tough anti-copy stance during UP Board exams has weeded out 1.2 million students off the examination process. On analysis, we have found that 75% of the dropped out students were non-UP residents, which indicated the massive scale in which the education mafia had been operating and earning a bad reputation for UP,” the CM added.

Referring to the recent UP Investors’ Summit 2018, that fetched investment proposals worth Rs 4.68 trillion, Adityanath said projects worth Rs 250 billion would be launched by March end, while projects worth Rs 250 billion would be launched next month.

He announced the farmers would not be required to pay royalty on soil for construction of houses, while the poor living in hutments would be provided the lease of the land for free.

A booklet commemorating one year in office of the Adityanath government titled ‘Ek Saal, Nayi Misaal’ was unveiled by Governor Ram Naik.