Finance Minister Suresh Khanna and MLA Neeraj Bora hit back at Akhilesh Yadav over his remarks on traders

Akhilesh Yadav wants to weaken Make in India and Swadeshi movements: Finance Minister

Lucknow : Following Akhilesh Yadav’s press conference, Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Khanna launched a sharp counterattack, calling the SP chief’s allegations baseless and asserting that the business community was most insecure under SP rule. He said the Yogi-led double engine government has made UP mafia-free and business-friendly. Supporting the remarks, MLA Neeraj Bora said the Yogi government has ended the era of ‘recovery brothers’.

Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said that the very business community Akhilesh Yadav speaks of today felt most threatened and insecure during the SP regime (2012–2017). He alleged that extortion, hooliganism, and commission-taking were central to the functioning of the SP government, which operated on a model of “one district, one recovery brother” to fill party leaders’ coffers through trader exploitation.
Khanna said that under the current double engine government, the business community is actively contributing to the state’s development by benefiting from transparent policies like the MSME policy, ODOP scheme, International Trade Show, and Udyog Mitra. He added that over 2 crore people are employed in MSME units across Uttar Pradesh, which now accounts for 14% of the country’s total MSME exports.

The Finance Minister accused the Samajwadi Party of maintaining silence on ‘Constitution Hatya Diwas’ and said Akhilesh Yadav has no moral right to speak on the Emergency. He added that the double engine government has effectively imposed an ’emergency’ on those who indulged in extortion and hooliganism during SP rule, which led to the drying up of socialist leaders’ illegal earnings. Today, in a mafia-free Uttar Pradesh, no one dares to impose goonda tax or extort money from businessmen.

Dismissing the allegations of the SP chief, Khanna said that no new tax has been imposed in Uttar Pradesh in the last eight years. Diesel-petrol rates are the lowest in the country, yet the state is moving towards prosperity by becoming a revenue surplus state. He called Akhilesh’s “Commission Mitra” statement an insult to lakhs of honest youth who have become self-reliant through Bank Mitra.

Khanna said Akhilesh Yadav is rattled by the growing demand for UP-made products and is attempting to undermine Make in India and Swadeshi efforts by invoking foreign names. He highlighted that Uttar Pradesh now leads in sectors like mobile manufacturing, textiles, brassware, and toys, with 77 products earning global recognition under the GI tag scheme.

Khanna highlighted the Yogi government’s achievements in contrast to the SP era, stating that Uttar Pradesh’s exports have risen from Rs 80,000 crore in 2017 to over Rs 2 lakh crore today. Per capita income has increased from Rs 46,000 to Rs 1.2 lakh, while the state’s GDP has grown from Rs 12.75 lakh crore to Rs 30 lakh crore. He credited this progress to improved law and order and equal opportunities for all.

The Finance Minister stated that Uttar Pradesh has received investment proposals worth Rs 45 lakh crore over the past eight years, with Rs 15 lakh crore already implemented—creating employment for lakhs of youth. He added that over 487 online services from 43 departments are being delivered through the Nivesh Mitra portal, which has issued more than 12.5 lakh digital approvals to date.

Khanna praised the Yogi government’s “One District, One Product” (ODOP) initiative, contrasting it with what he called the SP’s “One District, One Mafia” model. He said that while the SP regime was marked by fear and corruption, today’s Uttar Pradesh is establishing a strong presence in global markets. Commenting on Akhilesh Yadav’s “tracks breaking” remark, Khanna said it reflects his mental defeat.

The Finance Minister said that during the SP regime, tenders were tailored to benefit party-linked vendors, whereas today’s transparent system is unsettling for the SP. He added that the SP chief is rattled by the growing success of traders and the party’s now-empty coffers. Khanna remarked that under SP rule, rate cards were openly displayed in police stations, yet today the party questions the bank loan process.

Khanna said that the banking business was Rs 12.75 lakh crore in 2016-17, which increased to Rs 29.66 lakh crore in 2024-25. The CD ratio increased from 46% to 61%, and the target is 67-70% in the new financial year. In 2024-25, loans worth Rs 2.50 lakh crore were distributed till the second quarter. According to the RBI bulletin, UP tops the project financing with a 16.2% share.

Khanna said that Akhilesh Yadav’s politics revolves around pitting one caste against another and accused the Samajwadi Party of trying to ignite caste-based conflict in the country. He alleged that the SP focuses on protecting the accused based on caste and religion, while the double engine government delivers justice by focusing on the victim and the culprit. Khanna added that Uttar Pradesh’s rapid progress is something the opposition is finding hard to digest.

MLA Dr. Neeraj Bora said that the SP followed a “One District, One Recovery Brother” model, but the Yogi government has put an end to such extortion networks. He criticised Akhilesh Yadav for aligning with those who once imposed the Emergency, adding that in today’s mafia-free UP, extortion is no longer possible. Bora also highlighted that no new taxes have been imposed in the past eight years and that Uttar Pradesh has now become a revenue-surplus state.