Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 24 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday took a swipe at the previous state government, alleging that electricity supply was unequal before 2017 and that industry leaders had refused to attend an investment summit in Lucknow, forcing the event to be shifted to Delhi.

Addressing the inauguration of the Tech Sangam International Conference in Lucknow, Adityanath said the state had witnessed a change in electricity supply, security and employment opportunities since 2017.

'Before 2017, even electricity seemed to reach people based on their faces. Electricity was not available equally to everyone. That situation no longer exists. Today, everyone receives electricity equally. There is also a guarantee of security, and we are providing employment in the state with the same commitment,' he said.

The Chief Minister also referred to an investment summit organised by the then Uttar Pradesh government in 2015-16, claiming that industry leaders from across the country had declined to attend the event in Lucknow.

'Before 2017, if anyone had discussed an international summit in Lucknow, no expert in this field from the US, the UK, other European countries or even other parts of India would have come to Lucknow,' he said.

'In 2015-16, the then government in Uttar Pradesh tried to organise an investment summit. When industry leaders from across India refused to come to Lucknow, the summit had to be held in Delhi,' Adityanath added.

Yogi Adityanath highlighted the transformation of Ayodhya since 2017, stating that the city earlier received only three hours of electricity and lacked basic infrastructure, while it now hosts the Deepotsav celebration attended by lakhs of people and watched across the world.

'What was the condition of Ayodhya before 2017? It used to get only three hours of electricity... We started Deepotsav in Ayodhya in 2017 on the occasion of Diwali. When I planned to organise the event in Ayodhya, people asked whether Deepotsav would even be possible there. I said, 'Why not?... Today, lakhs of people attend Deepotsav in person, and people across the world watch it. It has become a major event and given Ayodhya a distinct identity... Earlier, there were no facilities and the lanes were narrow. Today, the roads are four-lane and six-lane.  We have built an international airport, connecting Ayodhya to the rest of the country and the world... This gap of thousands of years had not only held Ayodhya back but had also kept Uttar Pradesh behind...', he said. (ANI)