Uttar Pradesh chief minister brands Samajwadi Party a 'gang of dacoits' over alleged fund misuse

While laying foundation stones for 80 development initiatives valued at more than Rs 305 crore in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath denounced the Samajwadi Party as a "gang of dacoits" and singled out party president Akhilesh Yadav for alleged misappropriation of public money in the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre project in Lucknow. He urged Yadav to apologise to the state's residents for the purported loot of the exchequer.

Adityanath portrayed his tenure as a break from a past dominated by mafias, claiming the state now enjoys better security, infrastructure and governance. He linked these gains to the election of "good public representatives" and highlighted the contrast with pre-2017 conditions of poverty and neglect. The speech also revisited the long-standing encephalitis crisis, accusing former SP-Congress administrations of neglect that led to tens of thousands of child deaths. Officials present included Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi and rural development minister Vijay Lakshmi Gautam.