Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow

Lucknow, Sep 19: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday alleged that there was "not a single honest recruitment" in the state before 2017, as he took a swipe at the previous Samajwadi Party (SP) government.

The Chief Minister was speaking at a programme in Lucknow where appointment letters were distributed to candidates selected for various posts through the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) and Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC).

Adityanath said his government had so far provided appointment letters to around 9.5 lakh youths and announced that another one lakh would be given government jobs within the next six months. Recent reports put the number of candidates receiving appointment letters on Saturday at 818.

"To those who created an uproar regarding the distribution of appointment letters prior to 2017, I ask them to take note—we are going to issue appointment letters to another 1 lakh youth within the next six months," he said.

Targeting the previous SP government, Adityanath alleged that riots and prolonged curfews were common before 2017 and claimed that the recruitment system had been compromised by the appointment of family members and relatives to recruitment boards and commissions.

"Not a single recruitment drive was conducted honestly back then," he alleged, adding that the situation had forced young people from Uttar Pradesh to migrate in search of opportunities.

The Chief Minister further alleged that the state had acquired the tag of a "Bimaru" or ailing state because of what he described as the "ailing mindset" of the government of the time.

"Uttar Pradesh was not sick; it was the mindset of the governments that was sick, and their modus operandi was corrupt," he said.

Without naming the individual, Adityanath also alleged that a person who was not qualified had been appointed chairman of the UP Public Service Commission before 2017. He claimed that the person was later sent to jail following court intervention.

He accused the previous government of creating an "identity crisis" for the state's youth and said those who had failed to provide employment opportunities were now questioning his government's recruitment record.

In a veiled reference to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and party MLA Shivpal Yadav, Adityanath said the "uncle-nephew duo" had previously sought to "loot and plunder" job opportunities but were now presenting themselves as preachers.

He further said his government would not tolerate those who, according to him, had harmed the interests of the state's youth.

Saturday's appointment-letter programme covered several departments. According to reports, 404 candidates were selected for AYUSH-related posts, 357 as X-ray technicians, 48 as vocational instructors and nine as assistant statistical officers.