Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has urged all MPs in the State to cooperate with his government in the swift implementation of over two dozen “pending issues.” U.P. has 80 Lok Sabha MPs — while the BJP and its ally Apna Dal have a combined strength of 73 (71 plus 2), the Samajwadi Party has five while the remaining two seats, Amethi and Rae Bareli, are with the Congress.
Letters to MPsIn individual letters written to the MPs, Mr. Yadav appealed them to take “necessary efforts” from their end to ensure the “early disposal of pending issues.” Mr. Yadav listed 28 important issues that needed to be addressed, even as he expressed confidence that the MPs would cooperate in all the development efforts of the State government. He promised them all help from his side.
Blame gameAs the political climate in U.P. heats up ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections, the State government has often accused the Narendra Modi-led Central government of not responding to its demands for funds to achieve development targets. On the other hand, the Centre has accused the SP government of hindering the successful implementation of Central projects in the State for political reasons. The wrangle culminated in the laying of the foundation stone for the AIIMS in Gorakhpur recently, when the State and the Centre contested for credit.
“For U.P.’s growth and development, the State government has made several appeals to the Centre and even written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on several occasions,” a government spokesperson said.
Booklet on issuesAlong with a letter, the MPs were also sent a booklet providing details of the pending issues. While five related to the Home Ministry, four concerned the Human Resource Development Ministry, three each were part of the Irrigation and Water Resources, Defence, and Road Transport and Highways Ministries. The Law and Justice, Health and Social Justice Ministries had one issue each, while two matters concerned the Culture and Rural Development Ministries.