U.P. deputy chief minister’s taxi advice draws opposition criticism
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak has urged young people to consider buying vehicles and driving for Bharat Taxi rather than focusing only on government or other jobs. Opposition leaders criticised the remarks, while Mr. Pathak said the State would help young people obtain loans for taxis.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak has urged young people to consider driving their own vehicles through Bharat Taxi as an alternative source of income, prompting criticism from opposition leaders. Speaking at an event promoting the newly launched service in Lucknow on September 23, Mr. Pathak told young people not to become caught up in the race for jobs.
He said owning a vehicle could allow them to earn through their own work and keep money within their households. Mr. Pathak said the Uttar Pradesh government would help young people obtain loans to buy taxis.
He also highlighted the flexibility of driving, saying drivers could work for a few hours, return home to spend time with their children and take additional trips when they wanted to earn more. He appealed to people across the State to use Bharat Taxi and encouraged those with driving skills to consider the profession. He said driving should not be regarded as inferior work.
The deputy chief minister also discussed the circulation of money in the United States and India, claiming that money circulated 38 times in the U.S. economy compared with about 18 times in India. He attributed India’s economic problems to the Congress’s “politics of appeasement”.
Mr. Pathak credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government with improving India’s position in the global economy and said the country had moved from 11th place in 2014 to fourth place. His remarks were criticised by opposition leaders and social media users.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav contrasted the comments with a video in which Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath referred to creating 1.5 lakh jobs. Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed also criticised Mr. Pathak and questioned whether his own children would follow the advice.
Mr. Pathak additionally alleged corruption under the previous Samajwadi Party government and contrasted what he called its “pistol culture” with a “pen culture” in Uttar Pradesh.
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