Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday launched a sharp political attack on the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP), asserting that sustained development under the BJP-led government could push the two Opposition parties towards an existential crisis. Addressing members of the Van Tangiya community in Gorakhpur during Diwali celebrations, he accused previous governments of neglecting forest-dwelling communities and alleged that the Opposition was attempting to discredit Ayodhya out of anxiety over the state’s development trajectory.
The Chief Minister also used the occasion to highlight the government’s welfare initiatives, reiterate its campaign against drug trafficking and appeal to young people to stay away from substance abuse, gambling and other destructive practices.
Yogi Adityanath Says Development Could Bury Congress, SP Politics
In a politically charged address to the Van Tangiya community, Adityanath maintained that the development initiatives undertaken by the BJP-led government were challenging the political relevance of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party.
He alleged that the Opposition was increasingly targeting Ayodhya because of its concerns over the pace of infrastructure development and the broader transformation taking place in Uttar Pradesh. According to the Chief Minister, the two parties feared that continued progress would undermine their political standing and could trigger an existential crisis for their organizations.
His remarks came amid an intensifying political contest over governance, development delivery and the legacy of successive administrations in Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya, which has emerged as a major focus of infrastructure investment, religious tourism and urban redevelopment, has remained central to the state’s political discourse.
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Diwali Is For Family Celebrations, Not Gambling And Substance Abuse
Adityanath also underlined the social and cultural significance of Diwali, urging people to celebrate the festival with their families and avoid activities that could damage household finances and relationships.
He cautioned against gambling and drug consumption, stating that addiction and wagering could have devastating consequences for individuals and families. The Chief Minister called upon young people in particular to resist substance abuse and make constructive use of the opportunities available to them.
He said the state government had initiated a crackdown on drug traffickers following its campaign against organized criminal networks and mafia elements. Describing the action against drug dealers as the government’s next major enforcement priority, Adityanath warned that individuals involved in destroying the lives of others would not be allowed to operate freely.
The Chief Minister also emphasized that the state was working to expand opportunities for young people through development and welfare interventions, with the objective of enabling them to build better futures.
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Yogi Accuses Congress And SP Of Neglecting Van Tangiya Community
A significant part of Adityanath’s address focused on the historical deprivation of the Van Tangiya community, whose members traditionally lived in forest settlements. He accused successive administrations, including the British colonial authorities, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, of leaving the community and its ancestors to endure prolonged neglect.
Drawing a parallel with the 14-year exile of Lord Ram, the Chief Minister said the forest-dwelling population had been forced to live in difficult conditions for more than a century. He referred to 56 Van Tangiya villages in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that these settlements had remained abandoned and deprived of basic civic amenities for decades.
Adityanath pointed out that even after India attained Independence in 1947, the residents of these forest villages continued to face exclusion from essential administrative and welfare systems. According to his account, many villagers did not have their names included in electoral rolls and lacked ration cards and pension benefits.
The settlements were also deprived of basic infrastructure, including drinking water, electricity and healthcare facilities. The Chief Minister presented the improvement in these conditions as evidence of the change brought about by the present government.
Describing the transformation, he said the Van Tangiya villages had witnessed a new phase of development, using the expression Jungle Mein Mangal to underline the shift from prolonged deprivation to improved living conditions.
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CM Says He Has Celebrated Diwali With Van Tangiya Community For 10 Years
Adityanath said he had been celebrating Diwali with the Van Tangiya community for the past 10 years, presenting the annual interaction as a symbol of the government’s outreach to historically marginalized sections.
He maintained that Uttar Pradesh, with a population of approximately 25 crore, should be regarded as one family, irrespective of caste, region, economic status or whether people live in rural or urban areas.
The Chief Minister contrasted this approach with what he described as the family-centric politics of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party. He alleged that the Congress remained focused on the Gandhi-Nehru family, while the SP's political priorities revolved around the Saifai-based leadership family.
Adityanath asserted that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was instead working to connect every community with public welfare schemes and ensure that government benefits reached people who had historically remained outside the development framework.
He also highlighted what he described as a reversal of the earlier situation in which the Van Tangiya community had been overlooked by successive governments. The Chief Minister said the present administration was now reaching out to these settlements and recognizing their residents as equal stakeholders in the state’s development process.
Yogi Adityanath Accuses Previous Governments Of Endangering Youth
Continuing his attack on the Opposition, Adityanath alleged that governments with poor governance records could end up compromising the future of young people by maintaining links with drug traffickers and other criminal networks.
He argued that administrations preoccupied with protecting their own political and family interests could not be expected to prioritize the welfare of poor, Dalit and marginalized communities. The Chief Minister’s remarks combined a political critique of the Congress and the SP with the BJP government’s claims on law enforcement, social welfare and infrastructure development. His address in Gorakhpur also placed the Van Tangiya community’s experience at the center of the larger debate over social inclusion, access to public services and the delivery of government schemes in Uttar Pradesh.