Senior Congress leader and former Union finance and home minister P Chidambaram attacked Yogi Adityanath government as the state witnessed the fifth phase of polling on Sunday.
The former minister claimed the youth of Uttar Pradesh were the worst-hit as the unemployment rate in the state was the highest in the country.
Speaking to the media at the UPCC office in Lucknow on Sunday, Chidambaram said, “Today is the fifth round of polling in Uttar Pradesh. Most voters of the state have exercised their franchise. It has been a hard fought election. There are four key players and each one of them has its own strength and appeal.”
“The Congress has, after a long interval, planted its flag in all 403 constituencies and has fielded candidates in all 403 constituencies. It has given a new dimension to the goal of gender equality in elections. Its slogan of ‘Main Ladki Hoon, Mai Lad Sakti Hoon’ has brought a new energy to the campaign. Smt Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has campaigned tirelessly through the length and breadth of this vast state. I sincerely appeal to the people of Uttar Pradesh to support the Congress and vote for the Congress’ candidates,” he added.
“UP is the most populous state in India. You are among the hardest working people of India. You have sent eight prime ministers to Delhi and all of them were honorable people. Yet, Uttar Pradesh is at the bottom on many economic and social indicators, and its people are poor. It is time to focus on the last five years,” said Chidambaram.
Attacking the UP government on the issue of growth rate and economy, he said, “The GSDP growth rate of UP has declined steadily from 11.4% in 2016-17 to -6.4% in 2020-21. The per capita income is less than half the national average. Under Mr Adityanath, the per capita income actually declined by 1.9%. The total debt of the state stands at Rs 6,62,891 crore, which is 34.2% of the GSDP: Mr Adityanath alone added 40% to the debt. According to the multi-dimensional poverty index released by the NITI Aayog, 37.9% of the population is poor. In 12 districts, the ratio is over 50%, in three districts, it is over 70%. They are the districts of Shrawasti, Bahraich and Balrampur.”
Speaking on the issue of unemployment, the former union minister said, “The unemployment rate in UP is one of the highest in the country. Since April 2018, the unemployment rate for youth in the age group of 15-29 years has been in double digits and above the all-India rate for that age group. One of four youths in urban areas was unemployed during April 2018 and March 2021. There are a huge number of vacancies in government; the government cannot fill them because it has no money. The number of out-migrants from UP to other states is 12.32 million, that is one of the 16 persons belonging to UP have migrated out of UP.”
Speaking on the issue of education and healthcare in UP, Chidambaram said that UP needs 2,77,000 teachers to meet the shortfall of teachers, while the pupil-teacher ratio was one of the worst among all states.
“UP’s neonatal mortality rate is 35.7, infant mortality rate is 50.4 and under-five mortality rate is 59.8 — all well above the national average. The ratio of doctors is 0.64, of nurses is 0.43 and of para medics is 1.38 — all below the national average. In district hospitals, there are only 13 beds for every 1,00,000 population. In the NITI Aayog health index, in the last four rounds ending 2019-20, UP ranked at the bottom,” he remarked.
Launching a scathing attack on Yogi Adityanath government, Chidambaram said, “I respectfully ask the voters of UP, what are you voting for? Mr Adityanath’s model of governance is a mix of authoritarianism, fanning religious hatred, perpetuating caste enmity, police excesses and gender violence. This model has made the state poorer and kept a majority of the people of UP poor.”
“It is time for change. If your vote does not bring about a comprehensive change — a change of government, a change of attitude, a change of policies, a change of direction and a change of values — your vote will not do justice to your and your family’s goals and aspirations. I appeal to you to vote for the Congress and vote for a comprehensive change,” he added.
Read all the Latest Politics News and Breaking News here
Comments
0 comment