Taking a series of jabs at the Samajwadi Party during a 24-hour discussion on Vision 2047 for Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said the party's slogan of PDA stood for 'Parivar (family) Development Authority' and that had limited its perspective like a frog in a well.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had coined PDA for 'Pichhda' (backwards), Dalits (Scheduled Castes) and 'Alpsankhyak' (minorities) and said that would be the focus of the organisation. Leader of the Opposition in the UP Assembly Mata Prasad Pandey had earlier asked why Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had a problem with PDA when the communities had played a key role in the growth of Uttar Pradesh.
When it was his turn to speak, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, "Every Assembly constituency should see development, and the benefits of welfare schemes must reach everyone without discrimination... You are confined only to your families. Your 'Parivar Development Authority' approach is akin to what Swami Vivekananda had said about 'Kupa Manduka' (frog in the well). The world is moving ahead on the path of competition, but you are still confined to your families."
Speaking about the Leader of the Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey, who is also from the Samajwadi Party, Chief Minister Adityanath also made a rooster reference.
"The Leader of the Opposition is quite experienced. If he speaks on his own, he speaks correctly and well. When he speaks under the influence of others, then he also remembers the rooster. The leaders of the opposition party were saying very good things," the BJP leader said.
Chief Minister Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh was once the most prosperous state in the country and had seen a decline since 1960. "Plans were made. Announcements were made. But there was no willpower. People could not get even basic facilities. Crime and lawlessness were prevalent. The pain of migration... children dying due to poverty and lack of treatment, are these not true?" he asked.
Highlighting his government's achievements, he added, "After 2017, the double-engine government (BJP-led governments at both the state and Centre) established the rule of law. There has been zero tolerance towards crime and criminals. Schemes are implemented without discrimination or appeasement, and UP's contribution to the national GDP has increased from 8 per cent to 9.5 per cent."
