Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday, 16 September launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Indian National Congress, accusing both parties of 'incompetence' and a 'careless approach' toward law-and-order and healthcare infrastructure in Gorakhpur during their respective tenures in power. The Chief Minister was in the city to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for a series of development projects, including the opening of 'Kalyan Mandapam'.

Law and Order: A Central Attack Line

Addressing a large gathering, CM Adityanath argued that public safety had been transformed since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2017 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. 'Will people be able to attend events if criminals roam freely on the streets?' he asked the audience. He claimed that today, Uttar Pradesh is 'free of riots and curfews', and that 'criminals are either in jail or have passed away.' He further alleged that under previous governments, kidnappings, extortion of traders, and open threats went unchecked — conditions he said the current administration has reversed.

Encephalitis and the BRD Medical College Tragedy

One of the most pointed sections of CM Adityanath's address concerned the recurring deaths of children due to Encephalitis at BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur — a crisis that claimed lives over several decades and drew national attention. 'Due to the incompetence and careless approach of the previous governments, many children lost their lives to Encephalitis during this season. No Chief Minister or Cabinet Minister from the Samajwadi Party or the Congress came to meet any of the poor and affected people admitted at BRD Medical College,' he said. Adityanath noted that he had led protests on the issue in his earlier capacity as a Member of Parliament. He further claimed that within two years of assuming the Chief Minister's office, the administration had 'abolished the disease that people have been suffering from since the past 40 years.'

Economic and Industrial Turnaround Claims

The Chief Minister also highlighted what he described as an economic revival in the region, stating that more than 500 industries have been established in Gorakhpur alone under the current government. He pointed to the reopening of a fertiliser factory — which he alleged was shut during SP and Congress rule — as a symbol of the BJP's 'double-engine government' delivering on industrial promises. He also cited Ramgarh Tal, a prominent lake in the city, as a transformed landmark now drawing visitors from across the country and abroad, contrasting it with what he called its earlier state of neglect, crime, and garbage under previous administrations.

Political Context and SP's Jobs 'Syndicate' Allegation

Sharpening his attack, CM Adityanath alleged that whenever government job vacancies were announced under the SP, 'syndicates used to roam around for extortion,' effectively rendering the state's youth jobless. He argued that 'anarchy as a result of misgovernance' had pushed the state into an 'identity crisis' — a framing consistent with BJP's broader electoral narrative ahead of future state polls. Notably, the remarks come as political competition between BJP and SP in Uttar Pradesh continues to intensify, with both parties contesting the state's development record ahead of the next assembly cycle. The BJP camp has repeatedly used Gorakhpur — the Chief Minister's home constituency — as a showcase of its governance model.