People in UP used to struggle for basic facilities before 2017 MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh

Gonda (UP), Nov 2 (PTI) Union Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh on Monday compared the situation before 2014 and after 2017 and listed the development projects undertaken during UP CM Yogi Adityanath's tenure.

     "At that time, people struggled for basic facilities such as electricity and roads. Women in households hesitated to step outside because of insecurity," Singh said while speaking at a programme in Gonda, where Adityanath inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 69 development projects worth over Rs 520 crore.

     Extortion was rampant under the SP government, said Singh, who represents the Gonda Assembly constituency in Parliament.

     Addressing young voters, he said, "You have not witnessed those difficult times when, in the name of government, there was nothing except corruption and in the name of law, there was nothing except the rule of the mafia. Today, our mothers, sisters, and Samuh Sakhi members are sitting here. The government has opened avenues for them to earn an income and created a path toward self-reliance.

     "(Earlier) no one listened to you. Why? Because (when) the SP was in power, the mafia ruled (the state). When the BSP government was in power, money was extorted from pradhans, BDC members and Block pramukhs on the pretext that it was Behen (Mayawati) ji's birthday. Behen ji had to wear thick diamond jewellery. Do you remember or not?" the Union minister said in a statement issued by the UP government.

     He also compared electricity supply and ration distribution system during that time with the current situation.

     Singh on this occasion thanked Yogi Adityanath for visiting Gonda countless times, and said that no other chief minister even turned around to look at this district.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)