Reacting to his father and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's unhappiness with the working of his five-month old government, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said in Lucknow on Wednesday, "My father has all right to be critical."
Akhlesh was speaking to mediapersons shortly after giving his green signal to various development projects worth about Rs 5,000 crores at a special function organisation at his official Kalidass Marg residence in Lucknow.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mulayam had expressed his displeasure with son Akhilesh's style of governance. Addressing party legislators, the senior Yadav did not mince words in declaring that he had expected better performance from Akhilesh. "I had though that he would be able to make the difference in six months time, but more than four months have already passed. I can see that something is lacking," Mulayam told the gathering.
When a scribe drew Akhileshs attention to his fathers remarks, a sheepish chief minister replied, "He is my father, so he has a right to criticise me. I will try and do my bit to improve things."
Earlier, he laid the foundation of various developmental projects worth Rs 5,910 crore. He also kick-started the ambitious Rs 250 crore Janeshwar Mishra Gram Yojna and the state portal providing e-delivery of 26 services.
The chief minister also laid the foundation of developing four important highways to be built under a PPP arrangement by the Uttar Pradesh State Highway Authority, three railway over-bridges by the Lucknow Development Authority and setting up of
three special Mandi's, 111 rural infrastructure centres and 9 agricultural marketing hubs of the Rajya Krishi Utpadan Mandi Parishad.
He also inaugurated the recently built Naveen Mandi Sthal in Firozabad and Tundla.
Addressing the gathering, he reiterated his commitment to fulfill all his election promises and to take the state forward on the path of development.
Underlining the need of better roads in the state he said that if the speed is doubled, the pace of economic development would be trebled and this was only possible with high quality of roads across the state.
He also assured the private developers, involved in developing roads for UPSHA on the basis of PPP that they would not face any problems and in fact would be facilitated on every step to develop Uttar Pradesh.
