Yogi Adityanath: From bulldozer justice to anti-Romeo squads, five decisions that define the record-breaking CM

Yogi Adityanath, a chief minister who loves the idea of creating records, has become Uttar Pradesh’s longest serving chief minister (continuous terms). The previous record was held by Govind Ballabh Pant, with a tenure of eight years and 132 days (as of today), beginning on March 19, 2017. Pant, including his stint as premier of the United Provinces, held the office for eight years and 127 days.

 

Known for his penchant for early morning meetings, which have many ministers and bureaucrats groaning, Adityanath rose from being a grassroots social worker. Well before he became a parliamentarian, he was organising medical camps, education drives, and relief activities through the Gorakhnath Mutt. These built him a support base that came in handy before his first parliamentary tenure at 26.

 

Here are five decisions that set him apart from all CMs before him:

 

Bulldozer justice: Adityanath’s aggressive stance against organised crime and mafias which includes demolishing illicit or ill-gotten property has earned him the moniker of ‘Bulldozer Baba’ as ill-gotten property, encroachments and the property of criminals have seen large scale demolition under him. Such is the identification of the humble bulldozer with him, that at election rallies, the mere presence of one is a shoo-in for him. His zero tolerance for crime is attributed to frequent police encounters of notorious criminals – 238 since he first took office. Some of the most high profile ones have been that of Vikas Dubey and Asad Ahmad (Atique Ahmad’s son). In response to the furore against what his opponents decry as a trigger-happy police force, there are guidelines in place that make videography of encounter sites necessary in addition to dual-doctor panels for autopsies. But then, as the running joke in the state goes, vehicles ferrying criminals in UP can often overturn and the criminals killed in the ‘accident’.

 

Anti-Romeo Squads: These are specially dedicated police squads to prevent harassment (read ‘eve teasing’) of women in public places. They had their birthing pangs which included hauling up of brothers who were accompanying sisters. Then the name Romeo itself led to all sorts of questions. So, now they have the more sedate label of Mahila Suraksha Team. They are also subject to stricter operating procedures that prohibit them from meting out punishment such as blackening of faces or shaving of hair. Some four crore individuals across one crore locations have been checked by these squads since 2017.

 

 

Swachh Bharat: There is a ban on tobacco, paan, and gutkha in all government offices. The CM himself picks up the broom on many occasions, thus forcing his ministers and bureaucrats to do the same. The last two are expected to devote 100 hours annually to cleanliness drives. He himself conducts surprise checks of such drives and encourages his ministerial colleagues to do the same. He frequently links cleanliness with Indian spiritual ideals, invoking figures like Sant Gadge Maharaj who historically promoted public hygiene. He often rephrases a Gandhian phrase as ‘God resides only where there is cleanliness’.

 

The one trillion push: Goaded by the prime minister, Adityanath has set his sights on the state becoming a one trillion USD economy. In this, the state is head-on-head with Maharashtra which enjoys many advantages over the state, including a port and far superior manufacturing and services growth. UP’s one trillion target date has been a shifting one, but that does not take away from the fact that between 2017 and 2025, it has seen one of the fastest economic growths in the country. The latest in this direction is the launch of 27 Integrated Manufacturing and Logistics Clusters in 26 districts. He has also been consciously pushing for growth in the traditionally impoverished eastern districts with the defence hub being one of the biggest projects to be launched in the area.

 

The staunchest soldier of sanatan: Consider slogans such as “Batenge toh Katenge” (divided we shall fall) - his cry for Hindu unity. He does not shy away from acts that many criticise as against the secular fabric of the country. Think the showering of petals on kanwariyas. Think the stipulations on the size of taziyas during muharram (the logic for the latter being that taziyas which are too high might get entangled in electric wires and thus the bearers might risk electrocution). He is not one to give in to the slightest hint of political niceties and has often refused to wear Muslim skull caps during important meetings with leaders of the faith. On more than one occasion he has proudly said, “I am a Hindu, I do not celebrate Eid” or words to that effect.

 

For all the popularity that Adityanath enjoys – why there is even a film on him awaiting release – his is a permanently conflicted political stance as it was built on an early opposition to the BJP through his now disbanded Hindu Yuva Vahini. Many might not like it, but he is among the BJP’s brightest stars what with demands for him to campaign pouring in from all parts of the country.

 

While his ministers sometimes vocalise their opposition to him – one, for instance, wanted to know in the assembly, how many Brahmins had been killed during his rule, he adopts a subtler approach to cut his opponents to size. One such example came in 2020, when the Defence Expo was hosted in Lucknow. From the airport to the venue, there were numerous posters and cutouts of PM Narendra Modi and Adityanath. But it was the one missing from these posters that created the loudest buzz. There was no space for Rajnath Singh – who not only handles the defence portfolio but is also the MP from Lucknow.

 

He also is not too friendly with his two deputies. Keshav Prasad Maurya, especially, who has often said – sometimes on social media – that the party organisation is bigger than the individual. The other one – Brajesh Pathak – has sometimes been missing from important meetings. Adityanath lets the party’s central leadership take care of rifts.

 

Adityanath’s supporters say he will one day be the prime minister. While there is no crystal ball for that prediction, there is no denying his popularity in the present. Safe it is to say that there is no one like him in the political firmament at the moment.

India