Yogi govt taking credit for Lucknow Metro, my other projects: Akhilesh

Akhilesh claimed Yogi had failed on all fronts, including farmers, youth, health, roads, tourism, transport, agriculture, cane payment and more

A day after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath marked his six months in office by releasing a booklet contouring his ‘achievements’, his predecessor and Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday charged the Yogi government with appropriating his flagship development projects as their own.

Akhilesh specifically mentioned Lucknow Metro project, which saw the light of day under his regime (2012-17), although its commercial run was flagged off by Yogi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh only earlier this month.

The former CM said Lucknow Metro project had gained momentum during his regime even as he alleged the Centre had deliberately delayed the clearance to the project.

He also referred to the proposed international airports at Jewar and Agra claiming the Narendra Modi government deliberately did not issue the no objection certificate (NoC) and as a result, they could not take off when he was in power.

On Monday, Yogi had also released a White Paper, which indicted the previous Mayawati (2007-12) and Akhilesh regimes over alleged corruption, misrule and anti-people policies for the backwardness of the state.

Referring to the White Paper, Akhilesh observed the document was full of White Lies, while also implicitly suggesting that governing UP was not Yogi’s cup of tea just like he (Akhilesh) could not be expected to chant religious hymns. He also read out a couplet of legendary Urdu poet Ghalib to drive home his point.

Akhilesh claimed Yogi had failed on all fronts, including farmers, youth, health, roads, tourism, transport, agriculture, cane payment etc.

“The state farmers had earlier been promised about full farm loan waiver, but they are being paid a pittance now. Therefore, they are feeling cheated by the Yogi government. Even the sugarcane arrears have not been settled, although the ruling party had promised it would be paid within 15 days. The cane farmers are awaiting their payments even in the home district of the state cane minister (Suresh Rana),” he added.

Akhilesh also took swipe on the state bureaucrats saying several of them had sworn allegiance to him when he was the CM, but turned coat once the new regime came to power.

Further, he alleged the work on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, which witnessed fruition under his rule, had come to a complete halt after he was voted out of power. The expressway was conceptualised during the Akhilesh rule and a portion of the pathway of even inaugurated by him last year, although several other associated projects and works were still underway.

“Now, BJP is ruling both at the Centre and the state. The Yogi government should tell the people how much development works have been undertaken by it in the last six months. One can seek details and compare the amount of concreting clocked during my regime and under the current regime to know the level of development taking place now,” he added.

Meanwhile, the SP president informed his party would organise its two conclaves on September 23 and October 5 to chart the future course of action.