By?Madhulika Gupta
No one speculated the landmark victory BJP registered last year in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls; political analysts among others were left stunned. The Congress-SP alliance failed to create its magic and BSP was reduced to the margins. This was the first spectacle BJP created for the people of Uttar Pradesh to watch. The party stunned the public again when it announced Hindu hardliner and chief of the Hindu Yuva Vahini as the CM-designate.
Nevertheless, forty-year-old Yogi Adityanath was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on 19th March 2017 with splendour.
One year later, the mascot of Hindutva has spread his wings as an influential political leader in other Indian states too. He is popular in the party ranks, has a good chunk of niche following and is a revered man due to his status as the Head of temple: which is why he has been a popular choice among the party high ranks to be fielded in campaigns of Assembly elections of Tripura and the forthcoming Karnataka Assembly elections.
With completing one ?successful? year in power, Yogi Government has come out with an ?agenda? for the second year.
One year of new decisions
The Yogi Government came to power with a landmark decision of launching Anti-Romeo squads in all of UP, which soon turned into a tool of moral policing and harassment by the cops. A move that was devised to keep hooliganism and eve teasing in check received flak for what turns it took. There were instances where consenting couples were harassed in broad daylight, parents of consenting adults were contacted and shamed. Soon, the hype around the goal of Anti-Romeo squads died out and everything returned to square one.
Not two days later after assuming power, the move to ban all illegal and roadside slaughterhouses made the Yogi Government?s officials crack a whip on all unauthorised slaughterhouses, which is known to have killed employment and shatter livelihoods. Amidst this, there also were reports of legal slaughterhouses being sealed and the butcher community has been frayed with BJP and the Yogi Government over this.
In addition, the farmer community also seems to not welcome the ban on slaughterhouses since the abandoned cattle eat their way into farms and destroys the season?s crops. There is no way to control the abandoned cattle loitering around and the slaughterhouses have been shut too. Yogi?s Hindu Yuva Vahini has given some private land for the rehabilitation of these cattle but the operation has mostly been a failure- a problem for farmer community, employment of butchers snapped and roads filled with loitering cattle.
A few weeks ago, the Yogi Government was fired by the Opposition over the walls of Government offices being painted saffron; which signified the BJP saffronising the bureaucracy. They were painted back to their original colour after a heated controversy emerged at its centre.
Yogi?s Hindutva politics have been at the centre of his one year of governance. Whether it was asking Madrassas to send in videos of them celebrating Independence Day or his views about not celebrating Eid since it was a festival of Muslims; Maharaj ji (as Yogi is called) has been known to play divisive politics and give a communal colour.
?Encounter Raj? is what Yogi?s one year is being termed as. In this one year of governance, UP Police has killed 45 criminals under the garb of 1,294 encounters. The UP Police and the administration patted its back on this, but all the proud went in for a toss in the bin when reports of fake encounters started pouring in from Azamgarh.
With a beaming ray of hope, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya announced how 63% of state highways had been made ?gaddha mukt? (pothole-free), but there was no mention of achieving the 100% target.
The recently concluded UP Investor?s Summit, however, was successful in attracting thousands of crores as funding for investment purposes by honchos like Ambani, Birla and Adani; which worked well for the Yogi Government?s image.
Setback for the Yogi Government
The context of what worked for the Yogi Government and what did not has an indirect answer in how both Yogi Adityanath (CM) and Keshav Prasad Maurya (Dy. CM) lost their Assembly seats that they held before contesting the UP Assembly elections in 2017. The defeat in Gorakhpur and Phulpur is not only a morale booster for the SP-BSP alliance but speaks volumes about the one year of governance that the Yogi Government has given to the public of UP.
It is key to note that Yogi Adityanath is a five-time MLA from the Gorakhpur seat, a seat which has confidently rested with BJP for the past 19 years. Yogi Adityanath accrues the loss in Gorakhpur and Phulpur to the ?overconfidence? of party workers and how the party took the SP-BSP alliance ?lightly?.
This is something that backfired for the BJP with just days left for their one-year anniversary. Interestingly, PM Modi chose to not speak on this while Party President Amit Shah has said that the party will analyse the results.
When speculating what did not work for the Yogi Government in this one year, the tragedy that struck Gorakhpur?s BRD Medical College and Hospital tops the list. In August alone, 290 children died a horrible death due to the disrupted oxygen supply, majorly from the encephalitis ward. Questions were raised on the administration not clearing dues for the life-saving oxygen supply at a hospital in the Chief Minister?s own constituency which happens to be a VIP one.
The Gorakhpur tragedy was not only a shame for humanity but a major blot in Yogi Adityanath?s report card.
After the meat industry in UP was almost brought to a halt, the Quresh community (a group of Muslims dealing in meat butchering and trade) was distraught with Yogi and his Government. While meat traders held strikes and protests against the decision, others who traded in goat and lamb meat had also been forced to shut down. This drew flak from meat trader associations, Quresh community and owners of small holes in walls selling meat.
Ayodhya and Mandir politics
Ram temple was one of the major factors that BJP was bidding on while campaigning in UP for the elections early in 2017. The hints were subtle, but could not be missed altogether.
So even after eight months of assuming power in the state as the Chief Minister and amidst Supreme Court hearings on the issue, Yogi Adityanath celebrated Diwali in Ayodhya and asked people to ?have faith in him? as all will be done ?according to the people?s sentiments and beliefs?.
The issue gained momentum last year when the 25th ?anniversary? of the demolition of the Babri Masjid was observed in December, around the same time when Supreme Court started the hearing on the case; which was also nearing the time when Congress leader and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal argued that the hearing for the case be put on hold till the general elections.
Yogi has time and again reiterated that the issue is close to the heart of people and thus it cannot be overlooked.
However, Yogi Adityanth has played quite diplomatically after assuming the role of CM and stayed out of voicing any strong statements about Ram Mandir and left it entirely on the SC verdict. This is quite unlike his past records, where he has made communally strong statements about building the Ram Mandir.
On the contrary, a VVIP town like Ayodhya is still one of the most under-developed in Uttar Pradesh. Cleanliness remains a strong issue, even after Modi?s star-studded Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The local people want jobs and employment for their youth more than they want an answer to the Mandir-Masjid debate.
Yogi Government, however, is rooting for a makeover for Ayodhya with a INR 133 crore plan.
Advice for Yogi
A LocalCircles survey has revealed that almost 50% of the UP population seems to be satisfied with Yogi Government?s performance in one year. People seem to be happy with the law and order situation improving, and the unhindered power supply has only added to their joy. Intolerance for crimes against women, sadly, has not seen any rise. Be it cheating in exams or poor healthcare, the public has clearly shown its disappointment in these spheres.
On the eve of the completion of his one year as the CM, Yogi Adityanath opined that one year was not enough to assess his Government. He has been quick to add that one year was too less to pick UP from the muck of nepotism, caste and communal ideas; and that his Government had to fend for itself with whatever scraps the previous Governments had left.
This is quite a textbook answer for the inability of a new Government to rise above.
With the Gorakhpur and Phulpur loss, BJP and the Yogi Government are facing its biggest setback ever. If Yogi Adityanath wishes to make his remaining tenure one to be reckoned with, he needs to show his mettle, take hard stands on issues and provide substance in his decisions. So far, his vague statements on publicly important issues and inability to address the real problems on the ground has been a big problem. Yogi needs to realise that nothing works if the farmers in your state receive 1.5 rupee cheques as loan waivers.
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