Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav to create a green legacy for the state

LUCKNOW:Back from a tour of France and Italy, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has taken a leaf out, quite literally, of the French Magnolias he has fondly photographed on his cellphone. The environment engineer says he aims to create a green legacy for Uttar Pradesh; from creating eco-friendly cycle tracks for school children, building better roads and highways, and strengthening access to drinking water.

Speaking to TOI a day before he presides over TOI's Green Parliament the month-long campaign that culminates in a student-CM interaction on Environment Day Akhilesh said: “What sets us apart from others is that the Samajwadi Party government is trying to bring an attitudinal change.We care for the environment.We have started campaigns to revive lakes and rivers. We are preparing green belts and setting up a lion safari.In Ayodhya and Braj, along the parikrama routes, we're also reviving rare plant varietals that once found mention in religious scriptures and are associated with peoples' beliefs. Religion and emotions always play a big role in politics and society.“

Bringing cycling tracks and cobbled stones to the tourist precincts of Agra, the chief minister is also a more confident leader as he prepares ahead for a crucial election a little over one year away . In response to whether SP government has gained in popularity as a result of its works, Akhilesh said, “I cannot say that every one of those who perform a parkirama around the Parijat tree in Lohia Park will vote for me.Nor can I expect everyone of those who used the 108 ambulance services we run to vote for SP. Reviving the Parijat, and planting it in large numbers may lead to protests against me in Barabanki because people believed their tree was the original. In Vid han Sabha, leaders alleged I was trying to plant a fake. I asked them what a fake tree was. But India is a unique country . It comprises an emotional people and we don't want to fight with anyone.“

The real fight, Akhilesh says, will be over “real development“. “Eventually , everything boils down to the work done and assets created. Today , I have real projects to show. If someone wanted to build a bigger highway than the Lucknow-Agra Greenfield Expressway , it won't be easy . In democracy , work matters. Elections cannot be won on the basis of impressive slogans. They will need genuine work that's visible. If our workers work hard, these initiatives will generate support for us closer to elections.“

Akhilesh also says the government's solar initiatives are now catching peoples' fancy . “A poor man's electrified house in a Lohia village has led others, richer people, to install solar panels.Eventually , this will lead to samajwad, or social parity .“