Exclusive: Uttar Pradesh economy saw three-fold rise under 'double engine' BJP govt, says Yogi Adtiyanath

CM Yogi Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh's economy has nearly tripled under the BJP's "double-engine" government over the past nine years and attributed the growth to improved governance, stronger law and welfare reforms. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at Panchayat Aajtak New Delhi, UPDATED: Jul 15, 2026 11:19 IST Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that the state's economy has nearly tripled under the BJP's "double-engine" government over the past nine years, asserting that UP has shed its "BIMARU" tag to emerge as one of India's top economies. Addressing the Panchayat Aaj Tak conclave, UP CM said the state had overcome an "identity crisis" and witnessed a remarkable transformation under the BJP. "Uttar Pradesh, which once figured among the BIMARU states, has moved from the bottom three to become one of India's top three economies in the last nine years," he said. The chief minister said the change was achieved not by bringing in a new administration but by changing the mindset of the existing bureaucracy. "It is not as if I brought a separate team from Delhi or Gorakhpur. I worked with the officers who were already in Lucknow and focused on changing their mindset," he said. Adityanath also defended the BJP's "double-engine" government model, saying the arrangement had delivered results unlike the pre-2014 combination of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh. "Before 2014, there was also a kind of double-engine government, but the people had no faith in it," he said. Drawing a contrast with previous governments, Adityanath said Uttar Pradesh was once plagued by crime and poor law and order. "There was a time when neither daughters were safe nor businesses were secure. Governments appeared to bow before the mafia," he said, adding that the BJP government had fulfilled its promise of making the state "riot-free and curfew-free." The chief minister, while taking a swipe at the Opposition, said, "Today, the mafia are either in jail or have gone on their final journey," while referring to criticism over encounters involving gangsters. UP CM also accused the Samajwadi Party of diverting welfare funds in the past, alleging that money meant for schemes such as toilets for women was looted, whereas under the BJP government, benefits now reach beneficiaries directly through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. - Ends Published By: sharangee Published On: Jul 15, 2026 10:23 IST