A lot has happened after Akhilesh Yadav, son of Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, was sworn in as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh last year. He completes one year of his tenure on Friday. Let's take a look at his journey so far.
Leading a state, notorious for communal imbalance, law and order problems, wasn't an easy task for the youngest CM of UP. The past one year shows that the social turbulence in the Akhilesh government did not subside.
SP has always been looked upon as a party of goons, an image which the Akhilesh government did not succeed in eliminating. Around 27 incidents of communal riots were reported after he took over as CM, indicating that lawlessness has increased every time SP had come into power.
The anarchy of ministers also added its share of embarrassment to the government. While some were found offering corruption tips, others threatened journalists and a few suggested demolition of Taj Mahal.
A recent blot on the Akhilesh government was the alleged involvement of his minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh, aka Raja Bhaiyya, in the brutal murder of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Zia-ul-Haq. Raja Bhaiyya later resigned from his post and was arrested by the state police.
Despite all this, the Akhilesh government has a few achievements to its credit. The CM fulfilled the poll promise of giving an allowance of ₹1,000 to the unemployed. A few days back, the government distributed 10 thousand HP laptops to students, in a move to bridge the digital gap in the party.
Under the 'Kanya Vidyadhan Yojana' scheme, class 12 pass out girls are getting one-time grant of ₹30,000 for higher studies.
An impressive change is that the CM is open and accessible, unlike his predecessor and Bahujan Samajwadi Party chief Mayawati. He re-introduced 'Janta Darbar' where people could get access to him and pour out their grievances. He was also appreciated for having an amiable working relationship with the opposition BSP.
"Opposition has all the rights to put their words. But the shortcomings should not be blown out of proportion. The balance Akhilesh has maintained is not seen elsewhere. The law and order situation is much better as compared to other states. The achievements show that we will fulfill all our commitments," SP spokesperson Kamal Farooqi told India Today.
"Netaji had promised for two things, free education and free healthcare... Had Uttar Pradesh been a country then it would have been the eighth largest country in the world. These things should be kept in mind. The commitments we did in manifesto are being fulfilled."
At a press conference on Friday, AKhilesh chalked out measures that state would implement to attract investments.
"A lot of dignitaries have come to Uttar Pradesh in the last one year... these people have been welcomed and respected in the state. These investments will help the state and will also help increasing the per capita income of people," he said.
"The biggest achievement of one year in government has been that we have taken the developments forward together. We have increased the sugarcane prices, one of the record price in years. A lot of work has happened in the education sector and shut-down medical colleges have been reopened."
