SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, UP Dy CM Maurya spar over governance after BJP completes 8-year in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 26 : Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday slammed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, stating that the past eight years have been detrimental to Kannauj's development.
Yadav criticised the government's handling of corruption, citing an instance where the Uttar Pradesh Police had to file an FIR against one of its own IAS officers. His comments come as the BJP government completes eight years in power in Uttar Pradesh.
"... These 8 years that have passed have cut off Kannauj from development...When their (BJP) 8 years were completed, the Uttar Pradesh Police itself had to file an FIR against one of its own IAS officers...," said Yadav.
He also attacked the government's transparency, saying that this is the first administration where MLAs are openly demanding change. Furthermore, Yadav accused the government of dodging questions from the media, highlighting its reluctance to be held accountable.
"This is the first government whose MLAs are openly saying that we want change...This government does not want to answer any questions from the media...," said the SP chief.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh's Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya has hailed the state government's eight-year tenure as "historic" and filled with numerous achievements.
According to Maurya, Uttar Pradesh has transformed from being a haven for "goons, criminals, mafia, and rioters" to becoming a beacon of development, good governance, and welfare for the poor, earning the nickname "Sarvottam Pradesh."
"State Government completed 8 years of its governance...These 8 years of governance has been historic with several achievements. Uttar Pradesh had become the land of goons, criminals, mafia and rioters. Today is becoming 'Sarvottam Pradesh' - land of development, of good governance, of welfare of the poor," said the UP Dy CM.
Maurya also addressed the protests against the Waqf Bill, dismissing them as "pre-planned" by opposition parties, including Congress, SP, and anti-BJP factions. He emphasized that the Bill, which is being sent to Parliament through the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), aims to benefit 90% of the Muslim population in the country.
"The Bill is going to the Parliament through JPC. The protest is pre-planned, be it by Congress or SP or by anti-BJP parties. But this won't serve any cause. The Bill is being brought for the benefit of 90% of the Muslims of this country...," said Maurya.
Earlier today, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also compared the present government with the previous government and said there was an "identity crisis" in the state, and its infrastructure, economy, law and order, everything was in a 'dire state'.He added that people can see how vast changes can be brought about just by a change in the government.
Yogi Adityanath became the UP CM in 2017 after the BJP- which went to the polls without a CM face- chose the five-time MP from Gorakhpur to lead the government, which received an unprecedented mandate, winning 312 out of 403 seats.
BJP returned to power in the state in the 2022 assembly polls, winning 255 seats in Uttar Pradesh, and its allies in the state also registered impressive performances. This made him the first CM in Uttar Pradesh's history to win two consecutive terms.