Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday, 29 August launched a pointed attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP) at a rally in Deoria, alleging large-scale financial irregularities in the construction of the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) in Lucknow, while highlighting his government's record on women's welfare, healthcare, infrastructure, and law and order.

The JPNIC Corruption Allegation

At the centre of Yogi Adityanath's attack was the JPNIC project. He alleged that what was initially estimated to cost ₹200 crore ended up consuming ₹864 crore under the previous SP government — and yet remained incomplete.

'Let me give you an example of just how massive looters they are. There is the JPNIC, the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre in Lucknow. What was its initial estimated cost? ₹200 crore. And how much did the Samajwadi Party end up spending? ₹864 crore,' he said. He further alleged that the previous government had planned to spend an additional ₹900 crore to ₹1,000 crore from the state exchequer before handing the facility over to a private company. According to Yogi Adityanath, the proposed facility would have included a hotel, gym, and club, with earnings allegedly set to benefit members of the Yadav family and their associates — claims the SP has not publicly responded to.

'They were trying to create a private limited company involving their own people and loot the state treasury. The Samajwadi Party chief must apologise to the public,' he said.

Dig at Akhilesh Yadav Over Women's Bus Scheme

Yogi Adityanath also took a swipe at SP chief Akhilesh Yadav over the state government's free bus travel scheme for women, launched on 26 August. The scheme allows women aged above 60 to travel free of cost in Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) buses, along with one accompanying passenger.

'As we launched the free bus travel scheme on the 26th, the Samajwadi Party's 'Babua' suddenly woke up from his slumber and hurriedly called a press conference. He completely forgot what he was supposed to say,' Yogi Adityanath claimed, in an apparent reference to Akhilesh Yadav. The remarks were among the sharpest personal digs of the rally.

Encephalitis and Healthcare: Decades of Neglect, Claims Yogi

The Chief Minister spoke at length about the state government's efforts to control encephalitis in eastern Uttar Pradesh, a disease that he said had claimed more than 50,000 lives over four decades under successive governments.

'Encephalitis was not merely a disease; it was a sick mindset. It was the sick mentality of the Samajwadi Party and Congress governments of that time,' he alleged, adding that no Chief Minister from the SP or Congress, nor a Prime Minister from the Congress, had ever visited affected areas to assess the ground situation — a claim that opposition parties have historically contested.

Highlighting current healthcare infrastructure, he said the 'one district, one medical college' initiative had delivered results, with Deoria and Kushinagar now having functional medical colleges.

Law, Order, and the 'Mafia-Free' Claim

Yogi Adityanath also asserted that his government had dismantled what he described as a parallel system of mafia rule in the state. 'The mafia has been crushed, wiped out completely. For those who threaten the safety of daughters and traders, there are only two places: either jail or hell; there is no third option,' he said.

He claimed that festivals across Uttar Pradesh are now being celebrated without communal disturbances or riots — a sharp contrast, he argued, to the law-and-order situation under earlier governments. Notably, this is a recurring theme in BJP political messaging ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

UP's Image Turnaround: From 'Bimaru' to Model State

Wrapping up his address, the Chief Minister claimed that Uttar Pradesh had shed its long-standing 'Bimaru' state tag and now commanded national and international respect. 'Now, no one feels embarrassed by the name of Uttar Pradesh,' he said, adding that residents from districts like Deoria, Salempur, and Bhatpar Rani could take pride in identifying with the state.

He also underscored the importance of long working hours for elected representatives, saying, 'When a Chief Minister works for 16–18 hours, only then can security be ensured.' With assembly elections still two years away, Saturday's rally signals that the BJP's ground-level campaign in eastern UP is already in full swing.