Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday, 17 October launched a sharp attack on the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP), declaring that the party and education are like 'two banks of a river that can never meet'. He was addressing the Teachers' and Graduates' Conference in Lucknow.

Attack on the 'Saifai Syndicate'

Taking aim at the Akhilesh Yadav-led SP, Chief Minister Adityanath alleged that the party's so-called 'Saifai Syndicate' had systematically undermined recruitment processes and caused an identity crisis among the youth. He claimed that residents of Uttar Pradesh were once denied hotel accommodation merely for belonging to the state — a measure, he argued, of how low the state's reputation had fallen under previous SP rule.

Likening the SP to a crocodile, the Chief Minister said: 'If they claim they want to do something for education, it is akin to a crocodile coming to the riverbank and saying, 'Climb onto my back; I will carry you safely to the other side'.' He described the SP as 'enemies of education who cannot be trusted'.

Law and Order: Before and After 2017

Addressing the gathering during the ongoing Sharadiya Navratri festival season, Adityanath drew a pointed contrast between the present atmosphere of celebration and what he alleged was a climate of curfews, communal riots, and insecurity that prevailed in the state before 2017. He claimed that mothers previously lived in constant anxiety about their daughters' safety during school commutes.

The Chief Minister asserted that improved law and order had directly enabled investment and job creation in the state. 'Today, daughters are safe; and should anyone dare to compromise their safety, the police have the perfect remedy waiting at the very next street corner,' he remarked.

Employment and Recruitment Claims

Adityanath stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led double-engine government had provided government jobs to 9.5 lakh youths over the past nine-and-a-half years, while an additional 65 lakh youths had secured employment through private-sector investments facilitated by the state. He asserted that no recruitment conducted under the BJP government could be questioned on grounds of transparency or fairness.

'There is complete transparency, fairness and honesty. A spirit of honouring the talent of Uttar Pradesh's youth is evident,' he said.

Welfare Measures for Teachers

The Chief Minister also highlighted that the current government had extended free cashless medical treatment of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year to teachers and education staff — a benefit he contrasted sharply with what he called SP's indifference to the teaching community. He alleged that SP's cadres had once seized control of educational institutions, and that education and youth had never featured on the party's agenda.

Adityanath concluded with a pointed reversal: 'Today, Uttar Pradesh is not in need of an identity — those who created an identity crisis for the state are the very ones now struggling for an identity of their own.' The remarks signal an intensifying political battle in Uttar Pradesh as both the BJP and SP continue to calibrate their narratives ahead of future electoral contests.