Is Yogi’s emphasis on Hindutva for the by-elections or to defeat opponents in the party?

After the Lok Sabha elections, the image of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was badly dented. Due to the defeat of BJP in UP against Samajwadi Party, his position in the party also weakened. The way his two deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak had opened a front against him is not a secret from anyone. The discussion of his removal has also stopped for now, but it cannot be said that everything is fine with him in the party. The thing to note is that in the meantime, Yogi Adityanath’s style has started to look a bit changed. For some days, Yogi has started to appear in his old attitude (radical Hindutva). Obviously, there is a discussion in the political corridors about how and why this makeover of Yogi has happened suddenly. Is he returning to his old form to teach a lesson to his opponents in the internal politics of the party? Or does he feel that this form of his will be liked more in the by-elections to be held in UP in the next few weeks. Because the way Yogi Adityanath is whole-heartedly involved in the by-elections to be held on 10 seats in Uttar Pradesh, it seems that he has made the victory in these elections a matter of prestige.

Why is Yogi’s radical Hindutva side being discussed?

Yogi Adityanath has been a firebrand leader of Hindutva. He has not been dependent on the Bharatiya Janata Party for this. Before joining the BJP, Yogi Adityanath had formed his own Hindu Yuva Vahini in Gorakhpur. He has been making his people contest elections in the areas around Gorakhpur on the election symbol of this party. The Hindutva of the Hindu Yuva Vahini used to be more aggressive than the BJP. At present, after joining the BJP, the aggression in his tone has decreased a bit. After becoming the Chief Minister, he started talking about Rajdharma. But for the last few days, a drastic change has been seen in Yogi. Political analysts are seeing the old form of Yogi in him. In the last few days, Yogi took 3 such steps in which his old style and form can be seen.

In late July, the state government introduced a bill to amend the anti-conversion law, making the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, more stringent. The UP assembly passed the amendment bill on July 30, re-underlining its intent to stamp out love jihad.

Another example was passing an order to roadside vendors and shopkeepers on the Kavad Yatra route to display their names outside their establishments. This directive, first announced by the police in Muzaffarnagar district last month, was seen as being against Muslims.

Last week, Adityanath also discussed the Bangladesh crisis and the condition of Hindus in neighboring countries. He alleged that the opposition is silent about them due to vote-bank politics. Yogi said, “It is our duty to protect the Hindus of Bangladesh and support them in times of crisis and we will always stand with them. Whatever the circumstances, our values ​​remain steadfast. Being a Hindu in Bangladesh is not a mistake but a blessing.” Not only this, many more incidents and statements have come in the meantime, which makes it seem that now the Chief Minister is returning to his old form.

In the Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party has lost many seats in Uttar Pradesh, but the entire party is saddened by the loss of the Ayodhya seat. Yogi Adityanath must have also felt a deep pain of losing Ayodhya. After becoming the CM, he kept monitoring the construction of Ram temple and the development work in Ayodhya himself. Despite this, the public rejected BJP from here. Now Yogi has made the Milkipur seat, which comes under the Ayodhya parliamentary seat, a matter of his prestige. The current MP of Ayodhya, Awadhesh Prasad used to be an MLA from Milkipur. After becoming an MP, he had to leave this seat. Perhaps this is the reason why the opposition BJP wants to prove its importance by winning the Milkipur by-election. This is the reason why Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made the Ayodhya rape case an issue. In the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Yogi Adityanath claimed that the rape case accused Moeed Khan has links with the Samajwadi Party and is involved in the rape case of a 12-year-old girl.

In this case, Moeed Khan, who belongs to Bhadarsa in Uttar Pradesh, and his associate Raju Khan were arrested from Pura Qalandar area on July 30. Ayodhya SSP Raj Karan Nayyar had told the media that the accused threatened the victim through video recording.
Later, CM Yogi also met the victim’s family. Bulldozer action was also taken on the house and establishments of accused Moeed. It is clear that Yogi’s old form among the public in the Milkipur by-election can prove to be helpful in winning this seat. Yogi has also unveiled the statue of Paramhans Ramchandra Das, the flag bearer of the Ram Mandir movement, in Ayodhya a few days ago.

Meanwhile, another seat which BJP wants to snatch from SP is Karhal seat. Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav has been an MLA from this seat. After winning the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat, Yadav had to resign from Karhal assembly. BJP wants to take revenge of Ayodhya by defeating Samajwadi Party from Karhal. Bharatiya Janata Party has handed over the responsibility of this area to State Vice President Brij Bahadur Bhardwaj along with Jaiveer Singh, Yogendra Upadhyay and Ajit Pal. BJP is holding continuous meetings here. On Sunday, Deputy CM of the state Brajesh Pathak was also here. This seat is the stronghold of Samajwadi Party and Mulayam Singh Yadav family. If Yogi Adityanath puts in efforts in the by-elections, then a large number of Baghel, Shakya, Kshatriya and Brahmin voters can support BJP. Since the issue of development work and law and order has weakened, BJP finds Yogi’s old form useful to gather its voters.

The opposition to Yogi Adityanath in the party has not subsided yet. The way the Nazul Land Bill was stopped in the Legislative Council can be considered the biggest example. There could have been mutual discussions in the party to stop the bill but it did not happen. Yogi Adityanath understands that if he has to play a long innings in the BJP, he will have to do something that no one else can do. Obviously, Yogi Adityanath is the poster boy of Hindutva. This is the reason why his rallies are in demand for election campaigns across the country. He had also held 207 rallies in the Lok Sabha elections. Which was only a little less than PM Modi. Whether it is the southern part of the country or the eastern part, Gujarat or Punjab, Yogi Adityanath is in demand everywhere. This demand is only because Hindus like his firebrand image. Yogi has understood that he has to work on his core. Perhaps this is the reason why he has started playing on the old pitch again.