Yogi Adityanath deserves our time: Both as a political entity as well as the State he governs which decides India’s political fortune.
The most popular consensus would be he has put criminals on run. That he is indefatigable, non-corruptible yet his allegiance to saffron has earned him the hate of Muslims.
Most would also agree that there is little he serves for himself or his family. A bachelor, his rise hasn’t quite transported his sister out of her little village in Uttarakhand where she still sells tea in a shack to get along in her life. He wasn’t at his father’s bedside when he succumbed to Covid in 2020. Neither he attended the funeral nor he forgot to urge his mother to follow Covid norms and ensure very few joined the funeral procession.
Indeed, he didn’t interrupt his meeting with officials on pandemic emergency when the news of his father’s demise reached him.
Most of us know that when Yogi was asked for his preference of personal vehicles after becoming the chief minister, it took him some time to soak the information such has been the style-statement of his predecessors. Mayawati had gone for a land-cruiser worth a crore while Akhilesh Yadav’s personal assemblage cost Rs 7 crores. All of this of course was the tax-payers’ money. “We won’t waste public revenue when my predecessor’s cars are in good enough shape. All I need is a saffron cover which would remind me of renunciation and the cause of public welfare,” he is reported to have said.
Then there was this practice where ministers didn’t pay their taxes out of their own pockets. From the days of VP Singh in the 80s, there was a rule in UP which stipulated that ministers’ taxes would be borne by the public exchequer. Yogi struck it down instantly. Remember most of these ministers, in their affidavits, declare their assets in multiple crores. For instance, Mayawati declared her personal assets to be Rs 111 crores in her poll affidavit. Akhilesh Yadav’s was Rs 37 crores along with his wife, as per a website.
None of this of course makes news in our media which sheds copious tears on the blazing heat in which Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra went on feet to Hathras. Or the chappals in which Mamata Banerjee moves around.
Like it didn’t in media in pandemic days, hell-bent as it was in portraying the floating dead bodies in rivers. Recall those terrible days and imagine a chief minister, fighting his own Covid-battle, moving to every little yard of his State in trying to be on top of this dreaded pandemic which he did without complaining about the oxygen and ventilator supplies like the one in charge of the Capital did. While media slandered on under-reported cases, it didn’t mention that World Health Organization (WHO) itself swooned on how Yogi managed his sprawling State more populated than any country in Europe, Latin America or Africa. Or how an Australian MP (Craig Kelly) wished Yogi Adityanath was at the helm of his country during the raging pandemic.
Yogi and his milestones
Now that he is due to be the first chief minister to beat his incumbency in Uttar Pradesh in 37 years, its worth recalling some of his stellar work which never reached us due to the cover-up operation of media.
That he strikes fear in the heart of criminals, be it Azam Khan, Mukhtar Ansari or Vikas Dubey, is no news. What’s not known is that he has freed some 700,000 hectare land from the clutches of mafia. He went with gusto in creating new police stations (144) and outposts (50) filled by 1.38 new inductees in uniform. The State now has a cyber cell, a forensic department and ample funds reserve for research and data on compiling the profiles of criminals.
He also, by all accounts, has earned the trust of women of his State. New homes allotted under PM Awaas Yojna are registered in the name of the lady of the house. The provisions of gas-energy supply, toilets, health insurance to go with astute implementation on triple talaq has been as reassuring to the fairer sex as has been Banking Sakhi Yojana (women helping out others with bank and money transactions provided with Rs 4,000 per month); Mission Shakti which began on Raksha Bandhan provided pension to uncared women. Some 30 lakh women and 2 lakh daughters had Rs 451 crores transferred in their funds; pink buses and pink patrolling; anti-Romeo squads and exemplary punishment for those who went for female foeticide as well as reward for those who brought the news to administration’s notice.
There are notables in infrastructure which again are not in public domain. His endeavour for Film City has been met with derision. Two new AIIMS and 29 new medical colleges, six super speciality medical blocks has escaped attention. As is the knowledge that deaths due to encephalitis has been brought down by 65%.
It was drummed up that the farmers’ protest would hurt Yogi Adityanath big time in the assembly polls. None of this came about and that’s because farmers of UP have never received as MSP as they did during his tenure; the backlog of sugarcane farmers was cleared.
Then there is quantum jump in the Ease of Doing Business; foreign investment in Brahmos and in other arms production; defence corridors, airports, expressways etc.
Very few know about the One District One Product scheme of the State. It encourages products as well as stalk/fabric crafts, ivory work with which many districts are identified with. It helps the artisans otherwise ignored and helps in employment.
Yogi’s work in education sector is exemplary, unfortunately though the space in our newspapers is reserved for Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in this sector. There are now different groups given student’s proficiency—over two lakhs such groups in nearly 1.5 lakh schools—who are given personalised education for two hours daily. There has been a dramatic increase of knowledge among deficient students. Those who have benefitted the most are from Dalits, SC/STs and OBC backgrounds.
Is it any wonder then why Yogi Adityanath has won enough trust from his electorates to be chosen again as their chief minister?
