4 days ago
Yogi likens Opposition to frogs in a well, attacks it with Parivar Development Authority barb
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath presented his ambitious 'Vision-2047' for Uttar Pradesh in the legislative assembly on Thursday and attacked the Opposition, ridiculing the Samajwadi Party's PDA slogan as 'Parivar Development Authority.' Chief minister Yogi Adityanath addresses the UP Assembly on the fourth day of the Monsoon session in Lucknow on Thursday. (Deepak Gupta/HT Photo)
Accusing the Opposition of fostering a family-centric political culture, he said they should not even dream of coming to power in 2027. The SP's PDA formula is an acronym for Pichda or backwards, Dalits and Alpsankhyak or minorities.
'Your PDA stands for Parivar Development Authority. Your vision is solely to grab power. How can those who imported Queen Victoria's carriage from Buckingham Palace talk about Swadeshi?' Yogi said, contrasting the governance from 1947-2017 with the work done during his tenure since 2017.
In his marathon 2-hour 35-minute address, the chief minister likened the Opposition to frogs in a well.
'Swami Vivekananda called this mindset 'Koop Manduk'. The world is progressing, but you remain stuck in family politics. You've become a victim of the Family Development Authority and want to make the state a victim too,' he said.
Accusing the Opposition of hypocrisy, he said, 'They talk about freedom, but practise slavery. Will those who wanted a memorial for Duryodhana respect Indian heritage?'
Mentioning the encephalitis crisis in eastern UP in the past, he said, 'In 40 years, 50,000 children died, and the Samajwadi Party was in power four times. Who is responsible for those deaths?'
Referring to the minimum support price (MSP) for crops and farmer issues, the CM said the Opposition only deceived farmers before 2017.
'You bought produce through middlemen. Today, under DBT, farmers receive direct benefits.'
'Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey is very old and experienced. When he speaks from his own discretion, he speaks correctly, but when he starts being driven by others, then there is a problem,' Adityanath said.
'How will those who tear the pages of Ramcharitmanas respect heritage? When you people can cheat the cow, then who will you not cheat? You used to drink cow's milk but used to leave them on the streets, used to hand them over to the butchers. Today, under the double engine government, cows have been kept in 7727 cow shelters. You definitely drank cow's milk, but did not do anything that can express gratitude towards the cow. The curse of the cow will drown you. That is why, do not dream of coming to power in 2027,' the chief minister said. The Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are due in 2027.
Reading the lines from a poem by Pandit Shyam Narayan Pandey in front of Mata Prasad Pandey, Yogi said, 'Not every person can get the heritage of UP, this is the seat of Mahakaal, no one rules over it.'
Continuing his attack on the Opposition, he said, 'A respected member of the Opposition was saying that the vision was theirs. Incomplete network and stagnant investment from 1947 to 2017 shows their vision.'
He put the Opposition in the dock regarding the spirit of Swadeshi, the interests of entrepreneurs, the closure of industries before 2017 and the situation of migration in the state.
'You did pick and choose while giving the benefit of government schemes but for us, all people living in Uttar Pradesh are equal. If a head of state comes to meet me, I gift them ODOP products but you used Buckingham's carriage to celebrate Saifai Mahotsav and birthday
in Rampur. This is your double character and vision,' the chief minister said in the assembly.
Jibe at Shivpal
The chief minister took a jibe at senior SP leader Shivpal Yadav during his speech in the assembly. 'Shivpal was the last in the party under the legacy of Mulayam Singh Yadav but even Chacha (Shivpal Yadav) was fooled,' he said.
No enemy in politics
The chief minister told the leader of Opposition to have good relations with deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak, who is also the state's health minister.
Mentioning a medical college in Siddharthnagar, Yogi said, 'You (Mata Prasad) should call the deputy CM there sometime over lunch. One should not be an enemy at this age.'
Citing health reasons, the chief minister further told Pandey, 'He (Pathak) can provide super speciality services when it is needed (by you).'
'We teach G for Ganesh, you…'
Talking about education, Yogi said, 'We teach G for Ganesh and G for gamla (flower pot), you have taught the children of the state from G for donkey. You encouraged cheating in the examinations. Do not make innocent children a victim of the distorted thinking of your politics. When you came to power you said cheating is a birthright.'
SP tagged as anti-women
Taking a dig at the SP on the issue of women's safety, Adityanath said you people (Samajwadi Party) are openly branded as anti-women. 'Dekh Sapai Bitiya Ghabrai (daughters get scared if they see a SP member),' he said.
