Express News Service
LUCKNOW: Extending his gratitude to the people of Uttar Pradesh for the huge mandate given to the BJP for a second consecutive term, a visibly emotional Yogi Adityanath, after being unanimously elected as legislative party leader on Thursday, reiterated his commitment to fulfill the ‘sankalp’ (resolutions and promises) mentioned in BJP ‘sankalp patra’ (manifesto) with utmost honesty anddedication.
He also thanked the electorate for creating history by repeating a Chief Minister after a successful completion of five year term for the first time in UP.
“For the first time, a Chief Minister completed his five-year tenure and the party came to power once again for the second time (in Uttar Pradesh). This has happened for the first time. It has happened under the guidance and leadership of PM Modi,” said Yogi with a lump in the throat.
At the same time, he exhorted newly-elected BJP MLAs and allies alike to work together to take UP further on path of rapid development making it number one state in the country. “We have to work with conviction to take UP on top in the country realizing PM Modi’s dream by making it a number one economy,” said Yogi Adityanath.
During his first tenure, Yogi had been harping on making UP country’s number one economy worth one trillion dollars. Yogi Adityanath was elected as the leader of the BJP’s legislative party in UttarPradesh ahead of his swearing-in ceremony on Friday as the chief minister of the state for a second straight term.
The party’s legislature party meeting, attended by senior leaders, including Amit Shah as central observer, began with chants of Bharat Mata ki jai and Vande Mataram in Lucknow on Thursday afternoon.
Nine-time MLA from Shahjahanpur and Finance minister in previous Yogi cabinet, Suresh Khanna proposed the name of Yogi Adityanath as the leader of BJP legislative party and it was seconded by newly elected MLAs including Surya Pratap Shahi, Baby Rani Maurya, Ram Naresh Agnihotri, Sushil Shakya, and Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi, in the presence of all 273 NDA legislators at Lok Bhawan.
“We have got a two-third majority as people acknowledged our diligence with which we worked during the last five years. We have proved our mettle in people’s court,” said Yogi Adityanath at the meeting. He said that the result of UP assembly polls was the rejection of the politics of dynasty, corruption andcasteism.
However, he also cautioned his fellow MLAs against committing the mistake of considering themselves the master of people after getting power. “Instead work as the people’s servant following PM Modi who always works as a ‘Pradhan sewak’,” said Yogi.
“Getting power should not be a matter of pride for us, rather it should be one of a bigger responsibility to serve the people of the state with more vigour, dedication and honesty,” said Yogi. He prepared the party MLAs for “the days of real test ahead”.
“Now we will have to compete with ourselves. In our previous stint, our good governance had to compete with poor governance of previous governments but now we have to work hard on ways to make the benefits of good and clean governance reach every household and to those standing on the last rung of society,” he averred.
Reminding the newly elected lawmakers of PM Modi’s mantra of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas and Sabka Vishwas, Yogi claimed it made an impact on the people despite the opposition’s false propaganda against the party.
“For the first time poor believed that they could own a house, people realized that UP can be a riot-free state where festivals can be celebrated peacefully,” the CM-designate said. Accepting his administrative inexperience in 2017, Yogi Adityanath thanked PM Modi to guide him the finer points of good governance.
Later taking over the stage, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who supervised the proceedings of the legislature party meeting as central observer along with Raghubar Das a his co-observer, heaped praise on CM-designate Yogi Adityanath saying that though he was being elected legislative party leader today but the people of UP had elected him Chief Minister on March 10.
“Yogi Adityanath is the only CM who has been elected for a second consecutive term for the work he did during the last five years,” said Shah while adding that it was under Yogi Adityanath’s government that the foundation of growth and development was laid in UP and hoped that in his second term as CM, that foundation would be consolidated with the equal dedication and honesty.
Shah attributed the success of BJP to Yogi governance which brought about a major change in governance by ending politicization of bureaucracy, criminalization of politics and demolition of mafia syndicates. “For the first time in Yogi government a trust was created among the poor sections that therewas somebody to listen to them,” said Shah while calling upon the BJP MLAs to work unitedly as a team to take UP to the newer heights of development and good governance.
Later in the evening, Yogi Adityanath, accompanied with senior BJP leaders and allies went to Raj Bhawan to hand over the letter of support of 273 MLAs and stake the calm for the formation of new government in UP.
