CM just smiles, SP says cleanliness already on his agenda

LUCKNOW : Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav chose to give a non-committal smile on being nominated among the nine UP-ites by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to carry forward the Swachh Bharat campaign in the state.

At a gathering of some newspersons at his Kalidas Marg residence, Akhilesh smiled away the questions on his nomination.

On its part, without saying it in so many words, the Samajwadi Party (SP) hinted that there was no need for the UP chief minister to join the campaign as cleanliness was already on Akhilesh’s agenda for the state. The PM’s announcement came “as a surprise apparently to most Samajwadis and looked to be a tactical move,” said an SP leader. But the party was quick to release a one-page statement on Akhilesh’s clean and green mission. Akhilesh, perhaps is the first non-BJP chief minister whom Modi has attempted to directly associate with the Swachh Bharat mission.

Earlier, Congressman Shashi Tharoor, who associated himself with the Swachh Bharat mission, faced his party’s ire and was ultimately removed from the party’s national spokesperson post.

AT A GATHERING OF SOME NEWSPERSONS AT HIS RESIDENCE, AKHILESH SMILED AWAY THE QUESTIONS ON HIS NOMINATION

The SP statement issued by the party’s state spokesperson and minister Rajendra Chowdhary said: “Akhliesh Yadav being sensitive towards health, cleanliness and the environment has already issued a ‘clean and green’ slogan for UP and the country. If on one hand, he brought clean conduct in politics and public life, at the same time he has embarked on government schemes, orders and works to transform cities and villages in the state. It includes improvement in the environment and mitigation of pollution.”

Without mentioning Modi’s river cleaning mission, the SP said Yadav had already been engaged in cleaning, improvement and beautification of riverfronts of the Ganga, Yamuna, their tributaries and the Gomti.

The statement also highlighted how the UP government not only ensured sufficient water in the Ganga during the Kumbh 2013 but also took many steps to keep the river clean at the Sangam.