Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, taking a swipe at previous state governments, said he does not fear losing the chief minister’s chair due to the ‘superstition’ that any UP CM who visits Noida loses their chair.
Recalling how he was once advised against visiting Noida soon after becoming CM, Yogi said he had been told so as chief ministers who visited Noida in the past ended up losing their position. Yogi made the remarks while speaking at a programme at Lok Bhawan in Lucknow, a day after inaugurating the Jewar airport in Noida.
In Lucknow, he distributed appointment letters to 665 newly selected nursing officers at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences.
‘Was told not to go to Noida’
Yogi said he believes in following his faith, not superstition. “People think that I believe in superstition, but that is absolutely not true. I believe in faith and respect everyone’s beliefs, but I completely reject superstition.”
“I was told not to go to Noida. I asked why. I was told that chief ministers do not go there. So I asked, is Noida outside Uttar Pradesh? They said no, but there is a belief that if a chief minister goes there, they lose their position,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“I was told not to go to Noida. I asked why. I was told that chief ministers do not go there. So I asked, is Noida outside Uttar Pradesh? They said no, but there is a belief that if a chief minister goes there, they lose their position,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Yogi added in Hindi: “Toh hamne kaha ki ek din toh kursi ko jaana hi hai, toh kursi ke moh mein ham kyon padein? Main wahan zarur jaunga. Aur main gaya. (Then I said that one day the position has to go anyway, so why should we get attached to it? I will definitely go there. And I did go.)"
Yogi attacks Samajwadi Party
The UP CM also sought to attack the previous Samajwadi Party-led government in UP and claimed that it botched up several projects during its tenure, adding that the project to set up the Jai Prakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) in Lucknow was pegged at ₹200 crore, but even after spending a ‘staggering’ ₹800 crore, the project remains incomplete.
"This is the Samajwadi Party's model of development. A project originally estimated at ₹200 crore ended up costing ₹800 crore. With what audacity do they speak of development?" Yogi said.
Referring to the Jewar airport, he said the government decided to build Asia's largest airport as UP's population is the largest. He added that when fully operational, it will directly employ 1 lakh young people.
"This airport was built in the area known as the crime capital of not only Uttar Pradesh but the country before 2017. Heinous crimes of all kinds were rampant there. Every activity would stop after 5 pm. A curfew-like atmosphere prevailed until 10 am.
"And today, due to the speed of this double-engine government, its strong willpower, within just nine years, we made Uttar Pradesh the best investment destination for the country and the world," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)