Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday defended the bursting of firecrackers during Diwali celebrations, saying people should not be blamed for causing pollution while those who have "polluted the entire system" through corrupt practices go unquestioned.
Speaking at an appointment letter distribution programme, Adityanath said pollution could be addressed and that his government had decided against imposing restrictions on the celebrations.
"You celebrated Diwali and several people are saying that it caused pollution. I said, 'Don't worry; pollution would be mitigated as well'. Nobody says anything to those who polluted the entire system with their corrupt misdeeds. But if the public burst crackers one day, it created pollution. If pollution happened, it would be mitigated as well. No problem. It is good that people celebrated Diwali with 'dhoom-dhadaka' and burst crackers. We decided not to impose any prohibitions. I, too, was in the middle of fireworks in Ayodhya. When someone celebrates a festival, people speak up about pollution, but not when someone does anything wrong," he said.
The chief minister also criticised previous governments in Uttar Pradesh, claiming that festivals were frequently preceded by communal riots before 2017.
"But this was not possible before 2017. Before 2017 whenever any festival arrived—whether it was Holi, Diwali, Vijayadashami, Janmashtami, Shivratri, Christmas, Eid, Guru Parv, or Makar Sankranti—riots would break out right before all of them," he said.
Yogi Adityanath criticises previous recruitment systems
Adityanath also targeted previous governments over alleged irregularities in recruitment, claiming that young people in the state had been forced to migrate because they could not find employment matching their abilities.
He alleged that recruitment processes had been controlled by syndicates and that candidates had faced discrimination.
"When talent did not find suitable opportunities, it would migrate elsewhere. The youth of Uttar Pradesh contributed their hard work to the nation and the world, yet UP remained impoverished—simply because they could not secure honest employment within the state," he said.
He further alleged that the recruitment system before 2017 was affected by malpractice, with candidates taking examinations on behalf of others and appointments being secured through unfair means.
"Before 2017, 'Munna Bhai'-style figures were entrenched within the administration and the recruitment process itself. One person would take the examination, while someone else would secure the appointment," he said.
The remarks came at a programme where the chief minister distributed appointment letters to 1,146 newly recruited junior assistants. He also disbursed Rs 215 crore in financial assistance to 4,300 beneficiaries under the Mukhyamantri Kisan Durghatna Kalyan Yojana.
