He alleged that the SP government had created an identity crisis for the state and its youth and that jobs were earlier dependent on ‘Saifai or sifarish (recommendation)’.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday warned the youth against “sharab (liquor)” and the Samajwadi Party, likening both to dangers that had “destroyed” the state, while taking a sharp dig at the opposition party’s PDA slogan.
He was addressing a programme in Lucknow where appointment letters were handed over to 470 sportspersons selected for recruitment in the Uttar Pradesh Police under the skilled players’ quota. Adityanath said the youth should remain wary of “two dangers.”
“Remember, in Uttar Pradesh, I will always appeal to the youth to be cautious of two things. ‘Pehli hai Sharab, doosri SaPa’ (The first is liquor and the second is Samajwadi Party). They are each other’s accomplices. Both have destroyed the state,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the SP’s “PDA” acronym for “Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak”, Adityanath said, “Earlier there was ‘Pradesh Dubao Alliance’ in the state.”
He alleged that the SP government had created an identity crisis for the state and its youth and that jobs were earlier dependent on “Saifai or sifarish (recommendation)”.
“Now this is the NDA government, the BJP-led NDA government. NDA means ‘Naukri Denge Alliance’ government,” he said.
Adityanath said the recruitment of the 470 sportspersons was due to their talent and hard work and not political recommendation or financial dealings.
“Nobody’s recommendation worked here, no transaction took place, and no syndicate was allowed to dominate. Only your talent and your hard work mattered,” he said.
He said the appointment letters were neither a favour from the government nor an act of compassion, but recognition of the candidates’ hard work.
The chief minister alleged that before 2017, recruitment in the police and other government departments lacked a provision for direct appointment of sportspersons. He said more than 1,400 skilled sportspersons have so far been appointed directly and the selection process for another 555 was underway.
Adityanath also alleged that before 2017, the state was associated with “mining scams, recruitment scams”, while his government forged a different identity through sports infrastructure and the One District One Product initiative.
He claimed that while the earlier government allowed “10 lakh goons” to flourish, his government gave 10 lakh youths government jobs.