Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday attacked the Opposition, accusing previous governments of rampant corruption in key development projects and letting the mafia flourish in every district.
Without naming anybody, Yogi specifically targeted the Samajwadi Party and its chief Akhilesh Yadav and said, “Babua is frustrated because loot and corruption are now being exposed.”
Speaking in Gorakhpur at the launch of the mega plantation drive, Yogi Adityanath referred to the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) project, which the state cabinet recently decided to transfer to the Lucknow Development Authority.
“The original estimated cost (of JPNIC) was ₹200 crore, but by March 2017, ₹860 crore had already been spent, and the work was still incomplete. A CBI investigation is currently underway. Even JP, who stood against dynastic politics, was insulted by associating his name with such corruption,” he said.
Yogi Adityanath also targeted the Samajwadi Party government over alleged financial irregularities in the Purvanchal Expressway project. During the tenure of the SP government, the cost of Purvanchal Expressway with a length of 340-km and width of 110 metres was set at ₹15,200 crore, he said.
When the BJP came to power, the tender floated for the project was cancelled. The tender was floated again, the width increased to 120 metres and the cost brought down to ₹11,800 crore, he said.
In response to the Opposition criticism of the tree plantation drive, the chief minister said, “Those questioning us today did nothing during their time.”
He said they turned development schemes into corruption hubs. “While our government launched ‘One District One Product’ and ‘One District One Crop’ schemes, the SP, Congress, and BSP gave the state ‘One District One Mafia’,” he said.
“Before 2017, youth from Uttar Pradesh faced an identity crisis. Today, they are recognised with pride across the country,” he said.
Yogi also targeted the SP government for opening fire on devotees of Ram in Ayodhya in the 1990s.
He announced plans to transform Gorakhpur’s Chilua Tal into a major tourism destination similar to Ramgarh Tal, enhancing the region’s natural beauty and tourism potential.