Yogi Adityanath says people will wipe out SP in next UP polls

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attacked the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav, claiming voters will permanently reject the party in the next assembly elections. He highlighted welfare measures for mid-day meal cooks and development in government schools

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday claimed people will “wipe out” the Samajwadi Party permanently in the next assembly elections, alleging that the opposition party had no place for the poor in its agenda.

Addressing a felicitation ceremony for mid-day meal cooks and a cashless healthcare card distribution programme here, Adityanath said his government is providing social security guarantees to cooks working in government primary schools.

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The chief minister announced an increase in the honorarium of mid-day meal cooks, financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh in case of accidents, cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh and an increase in the amount provided for sarees from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000.

“This could have been done earlier as well, but it did not happen because the poor were never an issue in the Samajwadi Party’s agenda,” Adityanath said.

Taking a jibe at Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, whom he referred to as “Babua”, the chief minister said, “You must have read the statement of the Samajwadi Party chief today.

“Babua said all the members of our family are MPs, and that is why the SP remains consolidated. Notwithstanding, people will wipe it out in the next (assembly) election, permanently.” Yadav had said on Saturday that SP parliamentarians had not defected as five members of his family are MPs, while several others are Muslims and “committed socialists”.

Adityanath accused SP leaders of exploiting the poor for the benefit of their own families, looting the state and turning it into a haven for goons.

“These people used to encroach upon the land of the poor, compromise the safety of daughters and no one was safe. There were riots and clashes every day,” he said.

Further, there was no development in the state as no resources were allocated towards it, the chief minister added.

Adityanath said his government has ensured that those who threaten the safety of women are “shown the way to Yamraj” and claimed Uttar Pradesh has become free of riots and curfews, paving the way for development.

Taking another swipe at Yadav, Adityanath said, “If someone, like Babua, wakes up at noon, gets ready by 2 pm, goes to the gym at 5 pm and returns at 7 pm to hold his ‘mehfil’ (social gathering), how will they find time for the state? “This is what used to happen earlier. They devoted no time to the state. But now the government has all the time for affairs of the state and its people. It resolves the problems of people, and promotes everyone who contributes to the progress of the state,” he said.

Adityanath also highlighted the transformation of government schools, saying before 2017, schools run by the basic education department appeared “deserted and dilapidated”.

He said 19 standards had been fixed for public schools under the government’s ‘Operation Kayakalp’ and schools were being equipped with amenities accordingly.