Yogi completes 100 days, refuses to take questions at press meet

He came, read a prepared speech and left without taking questions. That’s how Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath briefed journalists about his 100 days in office. The programme was held at Lok Bhawan, the seat of power, in Lucknow on Tuesday.

The Department of Information and Publicity had sent repeated messages to senior journalists requesting them to attend the news conference to be addressed by the Chief Minister on completion of 100 days. Even senior ministers in the Yogi cabinet asked reporters to attend this “important press briefing,” giving an impression that the Chief Minister might go for an important announcement.

The stage was set. All the ministers in the Yogi cabinet were present on the dais. There was a sense of déjà vu and the air was pregnant with expectations of a new announcement.

Yogi came 20 minutes late and released a 50-page booklet titled “100 din Vishwas ke (100 Days of Trust)”. The cover of the booklet had the smiling faces of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath himself. He then read out a prepared speech where, interestingly, he sought the cooperation of newspersons in helping him to run the government and left without taking questions as journalists shouted at the top of their voices to know the CM’s reaction on the rapid increase in crime and his government’s failure to fulfil promises.

The infuriated journalists questioned the need to call a press conference when the CM had made up his mind as to not to entertain questions. Government spokesman and state Health Minister Sidharth Nath Singh said: “The CM had released a booklet containing achievements of the government in the first 100 days. Probably, he felt he has answered all the questions which could be raised and there was no need to take questions. That’s why he did not take questions and left.”

He said the CM had a prior meeting with officials of Asian Development Bank and was in a hurry to meet them.

However, questions were raised as to if the CM had a meeting scheduled, why this press conference was called. Why such a hue and cry was raised over the so-called achievements of the government?

Singh did not have any answer and left.

The Opposition took a dig at the CM’s escapist attitude, saying the CM had nothing to say and therefore left without taking any questions.

Senior Congress leader and former legislator Akhilesh Pratap Singh said that the Yogi government does not have a single achievement under its belt. “What will he say,” he quipped.

“What could the Chief Minister say about the law and order situation, poor power supply and farmers’ plight? That man has an escapist tendency who does not have anything to say about himself. Yogi personifies that escapist man today,” Singh said.

Earlier, after releasing the booklet on his government’s performance since he assumed office on March 19, Adityanath said, “We want to assure people that government has started initiatives to take UP forward on the path of development.”

In a jibe at his political rivals, the chief minister said Uttar Pradesh lacked on the development front due to corruption and nepotism in past years.

He said 2017 would be observed as ‘Garib Kalyan Varsh’. Noting that the state's economy was agriculture-based, he said his government was, therefore, giving priority to issues related to farmers.

The Chief Minister said dues of over Rs 22,517 crore were paid to sugarcane growers in the state after his government came to power.

With inputs from PTI