Asking the people to think about what they are voting for, Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday said that the Yogi Adityanath model of government has made the state poorer and has added 40 per cent to the state’s debt.?

Batting for his party, Chidambaram said that the Congress' slogan ‘Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti Hoon’ has added a new dimension to the goal of gender equality in elections.?

“What are you voting for?” Chidambaram sought to know from the people, and said Adityanath's model of governance is a mix of “authoritarianism, fanning religious hatred, perpetuating caste enmity, police excesses and gender violence”.?

“This model has made the state poorer and kept a majority of the people of UP poor,” he said, adding that the state’s total outstanding debt is over Rs 6.62 lakh crore.

Hailing the people of Uttar Pradesh as the most hardworking, he said, “You have sent eight prime ministers to Delhi and all of them were honourable people. And if Narendra Modi is added to the list, he will be the ninth. Yet, Uttar Pradesh is poor, its people are poor and on many economic and social indicators, the state is at the bottom.” ?

Stating that it is a hard-fought election, Chidambaram said there are four key players, and each one of them has its own strength and appeal.?

“The Congress has, after a long interval, planted its flag in all the 403 constituencies and has fielded candidates in all the 403 constituencies. It has given a new dimension to the goal of gender equality in elections. Its slogan of Mai Ladki Hoon, Mai Lad Sakthi Hoon has brought new energy to the campaign,” he said.?

Praising Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the former finance minister said she has campaigned tirelessly throughout the length and breadth of the vast state.?

“I sincerely appeal to the people of Uttar Pradesh to support the Congress and vote for the Congress' candidates,” he said.

Attacking the Yogi Adityanath government for its performance, Chidambaram said the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Uttar Pradesh has declined steadily from 11.4 per cent in 2016-17 to -6.4 per cent in 2020-21.?

“The per capita income is less than half the national average. Under Adityanath, the per capita income actually declined by 1.9 per cent. The total debt of the state stands at Rs 6,62,891 crore which is 34.2 per cent of the GSDP and Adityanath alone added 40 per cent to the debt,” he said.?

Citing the multi-dimensional poverty index released by the NITI Aayog, Chidambaram said 37.9 per cent of the population in Uttar Pradesh is poor. He said the youth are the worst affected and that the unemployment rate in the state is one of the highest in the country.?

“Since April 2018, the unemployment rate in the age group 15-29 years has been in double digits and above the all-India rate for that age group. One out of four youth in the urban areas was unemployed during April 2018 and March 2021,” he said.?

“There is a huge number of vacancies in the government; it cannot fill them because it has no money. The number of outmigrants is 12.32 million, that is, one out of 16 people belonging to Uttar Pradesh has migrated out of the state,” he added.

Chidambaram said the state is in dire need of 2.77 lakh more teachers and the pupil-teacher ratio is one of the worst in the country.?

“One out of eight students drop out of school at Class 8. The Gross Enrolment Ratio at the college/university level is 26.3 per cent,” he said.?
Further attacking the government on the basis of numbers, Chidambaram said the neo-natal mortality rate in Uttar Pradesh is 35.7, infant mortality rate 50.4 and the under-five mortality rate is 59.8 — all above the national average.?

“The ratio of doctors is 0.64, nurses 0.43 and of para medics is 1.38 — all below the national average. In district hospitals, there are only 13 beds for every 1,00,000 population. In the NITI Aayog health index, in the last four rounds ending 2019-20, UP ranked at the bottom,” he said.

“It’s time for a change,” Chidambaram said. “If your vote does not bring about a comprehensive change — a change of government, a change of attitude, a change of policies, a change of direction and a change of values — your vote will not do justice to your and your family’s goals and aspirations.”?