The newly crowned Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath today addressed the assembly and through this took a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav. This alliance was defeated by BJP with a huge margin in the recent assembly elections.
Adityanath said, “I’m one year younger than Rahul ji and an year older than Akhilesh ji. The fact that I could come in between their partnership may be the reason for your (SP-Congress alliance) failure.”
His jibe earned a round of laughs and also sent the opposition into a frenzy, who said that the former SP government was not capable of properly utilising the funds provided by the Central Government. The new CM said, “Over the last two and a half years, the Central Government allocated 2.5 lakh crores rupees to UP. But the State Government utilized only Rs. 78,000 crores. This was because they did not have a proper model for the State’s development.”
In his closing statement, the CM hailed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policy of inclusive growth for helping shape the economy of the Country and turning it around. He said, “In the last three years, the development schemes and programmes implemented by this Government are being viewed as an ideal model in the Country and the world over…. PM Modi is being hailed as a global icon.” He also applauded the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in helping increase the Country’s growth rate. He said, “I thank the Finance Minister for breathing new life into our Country’s economy.”
The firebrand BJP CM, who is considered by many as a Hindutva hardliner, then addressed the Prime Minister’s ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas’ motto. He said that the BJP-led NDA government has ensured growth and development for all sections of the society. Adityanath said, “This Government has worked for all sections of society without any discrimination.”
Yogi has been a member of the Lok Sabha for almost two decades and has represented Gorakhpur constituency from 1998. He said, “No trader in Gorakhpur pays goonda tax.” He then closed his speech and said that his government in UP will work for everyone, and will not be biased towards any caste or community.
