Lucknow: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday attacked Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and former vice-president Hamid Ansari while highlighting the state’s achievements in women’s empowerment, youth employment, startups and economic growth and said that people should ignore those who don’t have a vision of their own.Addressing the concluding session of the two-day-long Prerna Vimarsh programme in Greater Noida, Yogi, without naming Rahul Gandhi, referred to him as the Congress scion and held him accountable for insulting women.“The Congress scion’s conduct amid the ‘Jhooth ki goonj’ (echo of lies) is an insult to women’s power. People should stop anything from such people,” he said.“I appeal to people to ignore those who do not have a vision of their own. They are misguided and directionless people and their objective is to create confusion in society and spread disorder and anarchy,” Yogi said.Targeting former VP Hamid Ansari, Yogi termed his recent remarks as “unfortunate and frightening”.“A person who has held a high constitutional office is expected to uphold its dignity. Had he understood India’s equal vision, he would not have criticized India, Indianness and the Hindu perspective,” he said.Focusing on women empowerment, the CM said govts could not protect women’s dignity through speeches alone and should ensure it on the ground. He highlighted housing ownership rights, LPG connections, sanitation facilities and rural banking initiatives benefiting women.He cited the Balinee Milk Producer Company in Jhansi, which started with five women in 2019 and now has 62,000 women associated with it.Yogi said the number of women personnel in UP Police has risen from 10,000 in 2017 to 44,000 and is expected to cross 50,000 soon. Women’s participation in the workforce has also increased significantly.Highlighting economic growth, Yogi said Uttar Pradesh provided govt jobs to 9.5 lakh youth over the last nine and a half years. He added that the state attracted investment proposals worth Rs 50 lakh crore, with over Rs 15 lakh crore already materialised, generating employment for more than 65 lakh people.Referring to Pandit Ram Prasad Bismil, Thakur Roshan Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Veer Savarkar, he called upon the youth to draw inspiration from national heroes.“Prime Minister Narendra Modi puts the nation first. If the country is secure, religion, modes of worship, caste, family and individuals are also secure,” he said.Targeting the opposition, he said that those who had earlier created a crisis of identity for Uttar Pradesh now want to bring back the era of riots, curfews, dividing society, discrimination, disorder and anarchy.
