Yogi says UP has changed under him, Akhilesh questions

UP was pulled out from a state of an identity crisis as challenges were converted to opportunities, says Yogi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that the state had witnessed all-round development since he assumed charge of the state in 2017.

Speaking to the reporters on completion of two-and-half-year in office, Adityanath said that the image of the state had changed. "We have been able to win the trust of the people... earlier, there was a negative perception about the state among the people... we changed that," he added.

Claiming a significant improvement in the law and order situation in the state, the chief minister said that the criminals were on the run and were surrendering to the police.

"There has been a sharp reduction in the crime rate... dreaded criminals have left the state... incidents of murders have declined," Adityanath claimed.

Accompanied by his two deputies Dinesh Sharma and Keshav Prasad Maurya, the chief minister listed the works undertaken by his government.

The Opposition parties, however, said that the BJP government had failed on every front and had nothing to show to the people after completing half of its tenure.

"The state government is celebrating its failure... the crime graph has shot up under this government... women do not feel safe... corruption has increased... farmers are suffering," Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav told reporters here.

Akhilesh took the government to task about the alleged violation of human rights. "This regime has received the maximum number of notices from the Human Rights Commission," he said.

The SP president also accused the BJP regime of "persecuting" the Opposition leaders and cited the example of his party leader Azam Khan. "Azam Khan has been implicated in false cases," he alleged.