SP turned departments into 'dens of loot', says Pathak

Lucknow: Deputy CM Brijesh Pathak on Saturday launched a blistering attack on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav , accusing him of treating public property like personal wealth and misleading the people of the state. "The people of Uttar Pradesh are no longer naïve — they now know the difference between promises and actions," Pathak said.

Addressing mediapersons in Lucknow, Pathak criticised the alleged institutionalised corruption during the SP govt's 2012–2017 tenure. "From the JPNIC to the Gomti Riverfront and the mining department, everything was tainted by mismanagement, nepotism, and loot," he said. "This is why the people have shown the door to Akhilesh Yadav not once, but twice."

Reacting to Akhilesh Yadav's recent remarks, Pathak said the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre had become a hub of corruption under SP rule. "We have handed it over to the LDA through a Cabinet decision so it can serve the public — not any one leader's legacy."

He also alleged that the Gomti Riverfront project, originally planned with a budget of a few hundred crores, was inflated to thousands of crores, turning it into a "showcase of organised plunder."

On illegal mining, he said the department became a "den of loot" under SP rule, where ministerial posts were traded for loyalty to the leadership.

Pathak further accused SP leaders of illegally occupying forest lands and felling trees under the guise of political influence. "Such individuals are now behind bars. No one dares to look at forest land today," he asserted.

Highlighting the transformation in health services, the Deputy CM said, "Today, even the remotest CHCs in UP stock anti-rabies and anti-venom injections. All essential medicines are freely available — not just printed on posters."

Dismissing Akhilesh Yadav's allegations against the election commission as "irresponsible," Pathak said, "The clection commission is one of the strongest defenders of Indian democracy and constitutional integrity."

He concluded by highlighting UP's achievements under Yogi Adityanath , including No. 1 rankings in sugarcane, wheat, milk, and sugar production. "Under Yogi and Modi's leadership, UP and India are scaling new heights of progress," he said.