Varanasi: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday attacked the Samajwadi Party over its PDA slogan, alleging that it nominated its own family member and a wealthy businessman for the Rajya Sabha polls instead of giving representation to Dalits, backward classes and Muslims. In contrast, he said, the BJP distributed its eight tickets among general, backward and Scheduled Caste candidates, and all eight won.Addressing a teachers’ and graduates’ conference in Mirzapur for the Varanasi division Legislative Council elections, Yogi said the SP’s choice exposed the gap between its Picchde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (PDA) slogan and its actions. He appealed for support for BJP candidates Pramod Mishra for the teachers’ seat and Kedarnath Singh for the graduates’ seat, urging voters to exercise their franchise on October 23.Yogi alleged that the SP had opposed development projects, including the Maa Vindhyavasini Corridor, universities, medical colleges, bridges and ghats. He also accused the previous SP govt of allowing a “Saifai syndicate” to dominate recruitment.Under the present govt, he said, 9.5 lakh youths had received govt jobs in nine and a half years, 65 lakh people had gained employment and over three crore employment opportunities had been created through the One District One Product scheme.Yogi announced that tablets would again be distributed to graduate youths after the Legislative Council elections. Of the govt’s target of providing tablets to two crore youths, 62 lakh had already received them, he said. He also highlighted free competitive-exam coaching under the Mukhyamantri Abhyudaya Yojana.The CM said 15 lakh teachers from basic, secondary, higher education and self-financed institutions had been given annual family health cover of Rs 5 lakh and accident-related social security of Rs 40 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore.He said medical colleges were now operational in Mirzapur and Sonbhadra, while Maa Vindhyavasini University in Mirzapur and Kashi Naresh University in Bhadohi had started functioning.Cabinet minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi said UP had moved from “one district, one mafia” to “one district, one product”, while cabinet minister Ashish Patel praised the transparency of recent police and home guard recruitments.
