Giving a new twist to the caste cauldron in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath declared that his government was considering to provide reservation to the most backward and most dalit communities as some castes have been deprived of reservation benefits.
“It is unfortunate that after such long time, people who really require reservation were being ignored. We are committed to providing reservation to those castes who have been neglected by past governments,” Yogi said during his budget speech in the Assembly on Thursday.
The CM said that a high-level committee would soon be set up which will give its report to the government. This is not the first time that such a proposal has been mooted.
In 2002, then Chief Minister Rajnath Singh too had proposed reservation but it was scrapped by the Court. The previous Akhilesh Yadav government too had got a proposal passed by the legislature giving dalit status to 17 MBCs, but it was rejected by the Union government.
Yogi’s announcement is being seen as a preparation of the BJP for the 2019 general elections whrein castes are likely to play a crucial role if the Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party agree to join hands and contest.
In his over 90 minute speech, Yogi lambasted the Opposition, particularly leader of the Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary, for criticising the government.
“There is all round development and the just held Investors Summit is an indicator as MoUs worth Rs 4.68 lakh crore have been signed of which projects of Rs 25,000 crore will be implemented by this month,” he said.
“If we are able to implement all the MoUs, it will create 37 lakh jobs including 4 lakh government jobs. We have our plans ready. When the previous governments used to redirect unutilised funds to PlA, we have ensured utilization of budgetary allocation,” the CM said adding that directives have been issued to either use funds or surrender them.
Yogi churned out figures saying in Agriculture 97 per cent funds were utilized while it was 93 per cent in Power, 99 per cent in Home, 98 per cent in Forest and 100 per cent in Food and Civil supplies department. The utilization was less in PWD ((63 per cent), Health (78 per cent) and Panchayati Raj (77 per cent).
“We are able to stick to financial discipline. We cannot allow UP to go bankrupt,” Yogi said in a reply to opposition charges that the state was heading towards a financial quagmire.
The Chief Minister also blamed the previous SP government for neglecting Shiksha Mitras. “We are trying to give them all possible assistance and even their honorarium has been hiked to Rs 10,000 a month,” he said.
Yogi also charged the SP government of derailing development of the state by ignoring schemes and projects offered by the Central government. “It is unfortunate that the SP government refused to take 150 life support ambulances from the Centre. Similarly housing projects and power projects were refused. We are using the same schemes to ensure houses for 8.85 lakh poor families and ensuring quality power across the state,” he said.
The CM even said that the leader of Opposition should be allowed to inaugurate housing schemes or toilets which this government has constructed.
“We have zero tolerance towards corruption and have launched an anti-corruption portal. Anyone found guilty will be punished. The government will ensure that prices of sand and coarse sand (morang) should come down to the level to 2016,” he said.
Yogi appealed to Opposition members to support the government in its implementation of development schemes. But leader of the Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary said that the CM misled the House as in the last one year, his government did nothing expect inaugurating projects of the SP government.