Gorakhpur/Lucknow, Jan. 28 -- Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on previous governments, accusing them of abandoning eastern Uttar Pradesh to mosquitoes, mafia and deadly encephalitis outbreaks that claimed children's lives for decades.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the Siddharthnagar Mahotsav, CM Yogi said, "People of sick mentality had made Siddharthnagar and eastern UP sick. It was brought into the embrace of mosquitoes and mafia and what was the result? Encephalitis killed children of the minority and Dalit community."

"For us they were children of Uttar Pradesh and not a vote bank. The double-engine government managed to eliminate encephalitis that wreak havoc for decades, in a couple of ...