Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Credit: PTI Photo
Taking potshots at Leader of Opposition Akhilesh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday stressed that those born with a silver spoon in their mouths will never understand the problems of farmers, Dalits, backward classes and the poor.
Adityanath said that his government has been working for the welfare of farmers. "Those who are born with a silver spoon, will not understand the problems of the poor farmers, Dalits or backward classes. What they did for them is known to the entire state and the country," he said concluding the debate on flood and drought in the state assembly.
Speaking after Yadav on the concluding day of the Monsoon Session, the Chief Minister said that the Samajwadi Party president only mentioned the problem of water-logging in Gorakhpur in his one-hour-long speech while deviating from the main subject.
Adityanath, who is the MLA from Gorakhpur and has represented it in Parliament several times earlier, said "it appears that the mandate given by the people in 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2022 was not just like that".
"In 2024 also, do not worry, the account will not open and the double engine government will be repeated," he asserted. Stressing that rainfall in the state has not been proper and the situation has not been good, the Chief Minister said half of the state got less rainfall.
"We held meetings earlier, made strategy and wherever there was a need, worked on for it. Still the situation in UP is better than in other states," said Adityanath.
"We are working on giving maximum facilities to the farmers and compensation to those affected by it. Steps are being taken by the irrigation department and the power corporation is also supplying extra power. The officials and ministers are visiting the affected areas for the purpose," he added.
Adityanath also took frequent jibes at the tussle between Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav, who have now come together, even asking the latter to decide his path well in advance.
The Chief Minister asserted that his was the first government which in 2017 decided to set up relief kits with rice, flour, potato, pulses, salt, spices, kerosene and dignity kits for women.
Escalating his attack, Adityanath said the Leader of Opposition is now showing concern over the waterlogging problem in Gorakhpur and recalled as to how his district as well as the entire eastern districts faced the problem of encephalitis.
He said that nothing was done to eradicate it despite the Samajwadi Party being in the government four times. "Encephalitis in eastern UP claimed the lives of 50,000 children in 40 years, four times the state had Samajwadi Party government. Were those killed because of it not PDA (pichhra, Dalit, alpsankhyak)? Akhilesh Yadav has coined the new term PDA in view of the coming Lok Sabha elections and often stated that they (PDA) will wipe out the NDA," said Adityanath.
"They also talk bad about 'Ayushman Bharat' suvidhaa to hide their shortcoming. Are those who are benefitting from it not the nationals of India? They are 10 crore people, they can be a vote bank issue for you but for us they are our family," said Adityanath.
"We are proud that it (encephalitis) has been eliminated in the very first tenure of the BJP in the state. Go to Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Deoria, Gorakhpur, Siddharthnagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Basti, Bahraich, Balrampur, Shrawasti, Gonda, Lakhimpur and Pilibhit. It has been eradicated, only the announcement remains," he added. Referring to the concern expressed by Akhilesh Yadav over the state of government hospitals, the Chief Minister said crowds can be seen there today since they are getting the doctors and medicines.
"We received a dilapidated system and it will take time to improve it, the crowds are coming and this shows their confidence," he added.
The chief minister also said that his was the first government, which took steps in the interest of farmers and declared man-animal conflict as calamity, under which those hit by them, even by 'bull' which has been highlighted the most by the Leader of Opposition, get it.
Adityanath also referred to the benefits extended to the people through the PM Awas Yojna and asked if 55 lakh people, who got houses through it are not part of PDA. He said that the Lohiya Avas facility, which was the scheme of the SP government, had benefited the SP cadres and the list for the same was decided in the party office.
"But now, there is no interference from state or central governments," he added.
Speaking in the state assembly earlier, Akhilesh Yadav raised the issue of rise in tomato price and also talked about the need for undertaking caste census for more effective implementation of the welfare schemes for the weaker section.