Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said public representatives who remain engrossed in their families and wake up at noon cannot understand people's problems, in an apparent attack on the Samajwadi Party and its chief Akhilesh Yadav.
Addressing a programme to honour sanitation workers in Varanasi, Adityanath said, "leaders who considered their families to be their entire world could not bring about change" and asserted that "elected representatives must remain connected with people and participate in their joys and sorrows."
"An aware citizen emerges when the public representatives elected by them are themselves aware. If the leader who is supposed to provide leadership wakes up at 12 noon and remains engrossed in his family, mistaking his family for society and the state, the consequences are inevitable," he said.
Adityanath has often taken jibes at Yadav over his alleged daily routine.
He claims that Yadav would wake up late and then get down to work in the afternoon only to end the day with friendly meetings in the evening, ignoring issues of public interest.
Without naming anyone, the chief minister also slammed elected representatives who, after winning elections, rarely returned to their constituencies.
"I repeatedly tell those who remain stationed in Lucknow that once they are elected, they sometimes do not even bother to visit their constituencies again," he said.
Adityanath emphasised that public representatives must maintain direct contact with people and ensure that government welfare schemes reach eligible beneficiaries, rather than limiting themselves to complaints about the administration.
He cited the example of a 76-day cleanliness campaign being undertaken in Varanasi and said its approach of engaging with residents, addressing civic problems and organising camps for welfare schemes could serve as a model for other constituencies.
The chief minister said elected representatives should organise camps to help people access benefits such as Ayushman Bharat health cards, housing assistance, pensions for destitute women and elderly people, ration cards and benefits under the PM Vishwakarma scheme.
Welfare schemes must reach beneficiaries without discrimination based on caste, religion, language or region, he said, adding that public representatives should act as a bridge between citizens and the administration.
He also stressed the need for dialogue to resolve public grievances, saying problems could not be solved through verbal abuse or physical confrontation.
Adityanath said Varanasi had undergone a transformation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, contrasting the city's present condition with what he described as its earlier problems of poor sanitation, traffic congestion, irregular electricity supply and encroachment by land mafias.
He said the government's responsibility did not end with constructing infrastructure, as its maintenance and protection also required public participation.
The chief minister urged people to prevent waterlogging and ensure regular cleaning during the monsoon to reduce the risk of diseases such as dengue and malaria.
Highlighting the contribution of sanitation workers, Adityanath said they often began work before others woke up and ensured clean surroundings in all weather conditions, including during festivals.
He said the Uttar Pradesh government had decided to take strict action against anyone found deducting sanitation workers' wages and announced measures to improve their employment security and welfare.
Under the arrangements outlined by the government, sanitation workers should receive a minimum monthly honorarium of Rs 16,000, along with access to medical facilities under the Employees' State Insurance scheme, insurance cover and provident fund benefits, he said.
Referring to the Maha Kumbh held in Prayagraj earlier this year, Adityanath said sanitation workers had played a crucial role in maintaining cleanliness during the religious gathering, which, he said, attracted around 66 crore devotees.
Describing sanitation workers as the foundation of the cleanliness system, he said their contribution often went unnoticed despite being essential to the success of large public events.
The chief minister also said land allegedly occupied by a mafia in Prayagraj had been reclaimed and would be used to construct housing for poor and disadvantaged people.
(With inputs from PTI)