Uttar Pradesh: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday at the UP Icon Conclave that mafias in the state had been “reduced to dust”, attributing the change to the zero-tolerance policy his government introduced in 2017.
Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh had earlier acquired a reputation for potholed roads and darkness after sunset. He claimed that satellite images from before 2017, taken on dark nights, would show Uttar Pradesh largely in darkness while neighbouring states appeared illuminated.
He alleged that the state had faced an identity crisis, with young people, women, traders and other talented residents lacking opportunities. He also claimed there had been a serious security crisis, particularly in western Uttar Pradesh, where families feared sending daughters to school.
The chief minister said those with resources would send daughters outside Uttar Pradesh for education and later arrange their marriages there. He further claimed that employment opportunities were scarce in the state and that the Uttar Pradesh identity had limited prospects outside it as well.
Adityanath thanked the Times of India for inviting him to the conclave, saying the event itself reflected Uttar Pradesh’s emergence from that identity crisis. He said the 2017 policy had proved effective enough to force criminals to abandon street crime and seek livelihoods through small vending businesses.
The caption accompanying the uploaded video, however, said mafia had become deeply embedded in society, contributing to corruption and crime, while Adityanath’s remarks in the transcript described mafia as having been eliminated.
