How Yogi factor is evolving in and outside Uttar Pradesh
Besides addressing numerous meetings in Uttar Pradesh, he has toured Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in a week.
Propelled by his image as the nemesis of the mafia and riot-mongers, an unstoppable “good governance” mascot and a Hindutva leader who has matured in the quest to take everyone along, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath is a firm favourite on the Lok Sabha campaign trail both within and outside the state this poll season, clocking over 40 election meetings in a fortnight with many more to come.
Also Read: Rioters hiding, begging for their lives, says Yogi
Besides addressing numerous meetings in Uttar Pradesh, he has toured Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir in a week. He will campaign in Uttarakhand constituencies again on Sunday and is set to visit Bihar early next week.
Establishing a strong people-connect at every election meeting, he shuffles the issues by raising the points linked to the populace and highlighting achievements of the double-engine BJP governments led by Modi at the Centre and Yogi in the state.
As Yogi builds narratives within the BJP’s poll narratives, his style has worked well to the party’s advantage both in the 2019 Lok Sabha and the 2022 U.P. assembly polls.
Also Read: Troublemakers now shake with fear, says Yogi
With the party campaigning for ‘Teesri Baar, Modi Sarkar’ in 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Yogi model, being followed by BJP governments in some states, may evolve further to take the centre stage.
Till 2017, as head of Gorakhnath Peeth, Mahant Yogi Adityanath cultivated the image of a hardline Hindutva leader and he is not shying away from flaunting it now.
With his government known for strong action against the mafia and attracting large investment to Uttar Pradesh, he highlights such achievements outside the state too.
Also Read: PM praises Yogi’s law and order model
On Saturday, Yogi addressed a public meeting at Haldwani, instantly connecting with the people as he referred to Congress leaders with roots in the hill state who served as chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh. In his connection, he named U.P’s first chief minister Govind Ballabh Pant and leaders like Narayan Dutt Tiwari and Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, who were born in present-day Uttarakhand and gave leadership to the undivided Uttar Pradesh as the chief ministers of Congress-led governments.
The issue of assets and liability between the two states was instantly resolved when Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami brought this to his notice, he said, adding that the BJP governments have been resolving the issues the same way.
At Badhapur assembly segment (Bijnor) of Moradabad Lok Sabha seat, he spoke about the 1980 Moradabad riots and how the inquiry report was pushed under the carpet by previous regimes but his government tabled the same in the state legislative assembly.
At Baheri (Bareilly) under the Pilibhit Lok Sabha seat, he targeted the Samajwadi Party- Congress alliance, asserting that the tenures of governments led by the two parties witnessed riots. On the other hand, the state has not witnessed any riots during the tenure of his government, he said.
Earlier, addressing a public meeting in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan on April 7, he said the Congress government served biryani to the terrorists while at Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir on April 10, he said the grand old party played with the sentiments of the people with regard to the Sanatana Dharma.
At Wardha in Maharashtra on April 8, he brought the killings of two saints in Palghar to the fore while targeting the then Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena government. Strict action would have been taken against the perpetrators if such an incident had taken place in Uttar Pradesh, he emphasised.
“Yes, Yogi Adityanath is a major factor not only in Uttar Pradesh but also outside the state. This is mainly because of his attempts to focus on awakening Hindu consciousness, his security model and his following as the leader of Nath Panth,” said Professor Badri Narayan of GB Pant Social Science Institute, Prayagraj.
“After assuming office as chief minister, Yogi has shown maturity in politics. He has proved his mettle and the Yogi model of governance has become popular across the country,” said Professor SK Dwivedi, former head of department political science, Lucknow University.
