LUCKNOW — Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday brushed aside mounting criticism linking Diwali celebrations to deteriorating air quality, declaring that festive pollution "would be mitigated" and defending his administration's refusal to curb fireworks across the state.
Speaking at a state recruitment distribution ceremony in Lucknow, Adityanath mounted an aggressive counter-offensive against environmental scrutiny. He argued that public celebrations face disproportionate backlash while systemic administrative corruption escapes equal outrage.
"You celebrated Diwali and several people are saying that it caused pollution," Adityanath told the gathering. "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."
The Chief Minister confirmed his administration intentionally bypassed restrictions ahead of the festival.
"We decided not to impose any prohibitions," Adityanath said, referencing his own presence in Ayodhya during the celebrations. "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."
Beyond the environmental pushback, Adityanath drew a sharp political dividing line between his tenure and regimes governing the state prior to 2017. He claimed festive calendars in Uttar Pradesh were once routinely shadowed by communal violence.
The contrast, he insisted, is absolute.
"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," Adityanath stated, arguing that administrative enforcement had since stabilized the state during high-profile religious observances.
Turning to the primary agenda of the Lucknow event, the Chief Minister handed over formal appointment letters to 1,146 newly selected junior assistants, using the platform to attack historic recruitment malpractice.
He alleged that before his Bharatiya Janata Party administration took office, organized paper-leak networks and administrative intermediaries systematically subverted public hiring, forcing qualified candidates out of the state.
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. The administration itself was the very entity orchestrating these misdeeds! You might then turn to the courts, which would issue a stay order. Meanwhile, those responsible for these wrongs would pocket the illicit gains and stash them in foreign bank accounts.
Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
Talented candidates, Adityanath stated, migrated in droves because transparent government posts remained out of reach without illicit kickbacks or political patronage.
Alongside the recruitment distribution, the state executive unlocked direct financial relief for agricultural households hit by accidental deaths and disabling injuries.
| Welfare & Administrative Metric | Official Figures Released |
|---|---|
| Newly Recruited Junior Assistants | 1,146 appointees |
| Farmer Welfare Scheme | Mukhyamantri Kisan Durghatna Kalyan Yojana |
| Total Financial Assistance Disbursed | ₹215 crore |
| Total Beneficiary Families Reached | 4,300 beneficiaries |
Following Wednesday's distribution drive, the Department of Appointment and Personnel will formally initiate departmental postings for all 1,146 junior assistants across regional collectorates and state ministries over the coming fortnight.