Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on previous governments in the state, contrasting the situation before 2017 with what he described as improved law and order and better facilities for farmers under his government.
Addressing a programme here, Adityanath alleged that before 2017, UP faced prolonged curfews, riots and "anarchy", and even taxi and three-wheeler drivers were vulnerable to criminal elements.
"What was the actual situation of Uttar Pradesh? Curfews used to continue for months, riots took place and anarchy was at its peak," he said, attacking the Samajwadi Party in particular.
He alleged that vehicles were sometimes taken away after drivers were assaulted and claimed that even parked taxis could lose their tyres.
"Leave aside two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers, if someone was travelling in a buffalo cart and got down for tea or to relieve himself, by the time he returned, only the wooden cart would remain - the buffalo would be gone," he said.
He contrasted this with the present situation, saying, "Now there is no curfew, there are no riots, and theft cannot take place because we have installed 14 lakh CCTV cameras."
{{/usCountry}}He contrasted this with the present situation, saying, "Now there is no curfew, there are no riots, and theft cannot take place because we have installed 14 lakh CCTV cameras."
{{/usCountry}}Adityanath also targeted previous governments over their handling of farmers, claiming that small and marginal farmers had been neglected.
He said his government, after coming to power in 2017, had first undertaken a loan-waiver programme covering 86 lakh farmers and involving more than ₹36,000 crore.
"Remember, when our government was formed in 2017, the first work we undertook was for our farmer brothers - the small and marginal farmers," he said.
Adityanath said his government had also ensured the timely availability of fertiliser to farmers despite global conflicts and disruptions.
"You saw that the last three years were very critical. There were wars in the world - first between Russia and Ukraine and later between America and Iran. Despite all this, efforts were made to ensure that our farmers did not face any problems and got fertiliser on time," he said.
"Every day, I used to seek a report from the agriculture minister and the cooperation minister on what the situation was and what the result was," he said.
The CM also claimed that irrigation projects had remained pending for decades, citing the Saryu canal project, which he said had taken around 50 years to complete.
He said his government had added irrigation facilities to 24 lakh hectares in the state over the past nine-and-a-half years.
On sugarcane payments, Adityanath alleged that previous governments had left farmers waiting for years for their dues and claimed that 29 sugar mills had been closed, with 21 subsequently sold.
In contrast, he said, his government was currently operating 122 sugar mills and that more than 100 of them were paying cane dues within four days.
Sugarcane payments worth ₹3,30,000 cr have been made in the last nine years," he claimed.
He also highlighted free irrigation facilities through canals and tubewells, and said 16 lakh farmers with private tubewells had been provided free electricity connections.
Adityanath said his government had sought to connect farmers to markets through warehouses, food-processing units, farmer producer organisations and other initiatives.
"Uttar Pradesh, which was impoverished, is prosperous today. Uttar Pradesh, where there was anarchy and disturbances, today has an atmosphere of celebration," he said.
The CM was speaking at a programme to launch Bharat Taxi and the Mukhyamantri Krishak Samriddhi Yojana.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.