Lucknow, Feb 28 (NationPress) Uttar Pradesh's Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya emphasized on Saturday that the state is ready to take a significant leap in India's development narrative. He noted that its extensive population and skilled workforce position it as a vital contributor to the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat’.

“This is Uttar Pradesh. Our population is vast, and our talent pool is remarkable. We are actively participating in global progress and fulfilling our duties towards the advancement of India. The time has come for Uttar Pradesh to surge forward. Every state in India is creatively contributing to the vision of a Viksit Bharat, and Uttar Pradesh cannot lag behind,” Maurya stated in an interview with IANS in Lucknow.

Focusing on the state government's efforts to reach out globally, the Deputy Chief Minister highlighted that under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, effective measures have been implemented to draw foreign investments.

“To realize the vision of Viksit Bharat and Viksit Uttar Pradesh, the honorable Chief Minister visited Singapore and Japan, while I traveled to Germany. Although my trip to the UK was rescheduled, I was able to engage virtually with investors and business leaders there. The feedback from those interactions has been very positive, and we anticipate significant investment from both nations,” he revealed.

Maurya conveyed that business leaders from Germany and the UK have expressed strong interest in forming trade alliances with Uttar Pradesh. “We are optimistic that the inflow of investments will surpass our expectations,” he said, reflecting confidence in the state’s economic outlook.

The Deputy Chief Minister also criticized the Congress party, accusing it of neglecting its responsibilities to the nation.

“The MPs and leaders of the Congress have not met their duties to the country. They often seem oblivious to their statements or the roles they occupy,” he asserted.

In his remarks directed at senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Maurya claimed she is “continuously attempting to secure a position for her son as Prime Minister at least once.”

He further expressed his view that Rahul Gandhi is unqualified for national leadership. “In my opinion, his leadership would be detrimental to the nation. The ideology represented by the Congress party could potentially regress the country,” Maurya articulated.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he stated that India's global image has improved significantly under his leadership.

“Had the Congress achieved similar advancements during its time in power, India would not have needed to seek investments abroad; rather, we could have been investing in other nations. We could have emerged as a formidable economic force like the United States, China, or Germany. Our current shortcomings are partly due to the past policies of the Congress party,” Maurya concluded.