Lucknow: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday launched a spirited defence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP’s efforts to “ensure a bright future for India’s youth”, listing out the immediate steps taken by the Centre to ensure that the NEET re-examination was held at the earliest after the first paper was leaked, and that results were declared soon after.Amid massive protests against the central govt with protests demanding action in the NEET paper leak, the CM said: “We are grateful to the Prime Minister, who has taken major decisions over the past three days keeping students’ future in mind. No one can stop these mafia from being reduced to dust.“On Friday, the Union cabinet decided that the cheating mafia will be given 10 years imprisonment and Rs 10 crore fine. On Monday, the Bill will be presented in Parliament and the paper leak mafia will be ground to dust,” he said.

Yogi said that the paper leak mafia had been inherited from the Samajwadi Party and Congress govts, and that these parties were now shedding crocodile tears for students whose “future they had pushed into darkness”.The chief minister targeted the “Saifai family” and alleged that the copying mafia had received patronage during Congress and SP govts. He said strict action was now being taken against such elements. “Prior to 2017, as soon as any vacancy was advertised, the ‘Safai syndicate’ would become active and get involved in unscrupulous activities,” said Yogi.Asserting that the BJP govt would take the most stringent action against anyone who tried to play with the future of students, the CM said that not only was the re-examination for NEET done in record time, those responsible for the paper leak were arrested, 37 officials of the National Testing Agency were expelled, some were arrested and their properties would be seized.Thanking the PM for the steps taken by him to “give a new direction to the country’s youth”, Yogi listed out schemes like Digital India, Start-Up India, Stand-Up India and the new National Education Policy, saying that it was because of the PM that the youth of New India was getting respect globally. In the past one year, he said, 12 lakh jobs were given and in the past 12 years, crores of youth were given govt jobs.“Today, when the youth had some misgivings, you came out and established direct contact with the students and from Parliament, putting together night and day, you worked hard for a new law against paper leak. The double engine govt has been saying since the start that if someone plays with your future, there are only two places for them, jail or hell. And we will also confiscate the property built by their ancestors,” the CM said.In Fatehpur to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for 125 projects worth Rs 489 crore, the CM said that BJP had brought massive development to a district that, before 2017, was an aspirational district, among the worst performers in education, health, agriculture, employment, industrial development etc.He accused SP of having looted the money meant for the district’s development to spend on its own foreign travels and entertainment programmes in Saifai. Fatehpur, meanwhile, had no roads, no power, no medical colleges etc.During the SP regime, he alleged, all new jobs were disputed and people with no merit or eligibility would corner posts. After 2017, more than 9 lakh youth were given govt jobs, the CM said, adding that now people from Fatehpur are getting employment as well.None of this was possible before 2017 because SP did not have development on its agenda, he said, adding that had Fatehpur Nagar too elected a BJP MLA instead of someone from SP, then the area too would have had better development.At his next engagement in Jalaun, where he inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 374 projects worth Rs 1,274 crore, the CM pointed out that Bundelkhand was affected by brought, was backward, did not have power and dacoits had affected daily life. Now, under the BJP Government, Bundelkhand is getting the first solar expressway and 1 lakh homes in Bundelkhand were going to be lighted with renewable energy.He accused SP of siphoning off funds meant for development, and spending it on making “filmy actors and actresses dance and sing” in Saifai.He said Jalaun and the wider Bundelkhand region have transformed from being synonymous with drought, migration, ravines and dacoit activity into a model of development, powered by infrastructure growth, industrial investment and improved law and order.Highlighting Bundelkhand’s development trajectory, the chief minister cited the Bundelkhand Expressway, Jhansi Link Expressway, proposed industrial and logistics corridors, the Green Energy Corridor and major solar energy initiatives. He said India’s first solar expressway is being developed in Bundelkhand and is expected to facilitate clean energy supply to nearly one lakh households.