Hans News Service Lucknow

UttarPradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that a “Saifai syndicate” controlled recruitment processes in the state before 2017, accusing the Samajwadi Party and the Congress of promoting corruption, nepotism and irregularities that deprived deserving candidates of government jobs.

The CM also asked the current and previous generation to “never forgive them”, alleging wrongdoings by the Samajwadi Party and the Congress in the past. He wasspeaking at a programme here for the distribution of appointment letters to 1,146 newly selected Junior Assistants in the Revenue Department and financial assistance of Rs 215 crore to 4,300 beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Krishak Durghatna Kalyan Yojana.

“Before 2017, there was a kind of anarchy in Uttar Pradesh. All the recruitment commissions and boards had become paralysed. A syndicate operated in the state -- the ‘Saifai syndicate’ -- which had taken control of them,” he alleged.

Saifai is the native place of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav. Without naming SP president Akhilesh Yadav, Adityanath targeted him while referring to a statement by the “chief of the recruitment syndicate” questioning the government’s announcement on distributing appointment letters to one lakh young people. Taking a dig at the former chief minister, Adityanath said, “If he knows how to count, he should start counting. And if he does not know how to count, he should keep Shivpal Yadav with him as a tutor. He has old experience in counting.

He is an experienced leader and has spent his entire life counting.” He further said the former CM appeared to be unaware of appointment-letter distribution programmes (being done in morning) because “he might be asleep when such events are held”. “Also, this is Diwali festive time, thoda jua to ho jaata hai (he might have had some gambling sessions) with friends till late night, so he wakes up late in the day,” Adityanath said without naming Yadav. He also made a reference to the hit Hindi film “Munna Bhai MBBS”, drawing a parallel between its plot and alleged irregularities in recruitment under previous governments. “Before 2017, there were ‘Munna Bhais’ sitting in the government as well as in the recruitment process. Someone else would take the examination and someone else would walk away with the appointment letter,” he alleged. Adityanath said such practices had harmed both candidates who paid money to secure jobs and those who prepared for examinations through hard work. “Those who bought jobs by paying money and those who prepared for examinations through hard work both were cheated. The person who took money would deposit it in foreign banks and accumulate properties in different countries, while the youth of Uttar Pradesh were left cheated at every level,” he alleged. He said candidates who faced irregularities had to approach courts, resulting in stays on recruitment processes, while the state suffered from a shortage ofpersonnel.