Is Yogi Adityanath aiming for an image makeover? The question has been discussed in political circles since some changes have become visible in the utterances and actions of the saffron-clad Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
Adityanath spent his first term in office primarily focusing on the consolidation and polarisation of the Hindu vote bank, which eventually paid huge political dividends, enabling him to create history by riding on it to win a second term.
However, it is now quite apparent that in his new innings, he is keen on devoting his energies to governance issues, while simultaneously making subtle moves to come out of his Hindu hardliner image.
Read | Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath mulls quota within quota for OBC sub-castes
Not a day goes without his office issuing long press releases emphasising his directives to officials, who are being instructed to pull up their socks. Repeated warnings are heard from him against the rampant corruption in the bureaucracy or urging senior officials to become more responsive to public needs. As if to make it apparent that it was not just lip service, some action has been initiated against corruption, but those on the government's target were mostly small fries while the big fish has gone scot-free.
Of late, specific instructions have been issued by him to ensure a prompt and positive response to public representatives. Perhaps that follows repeated complaints not only by MPs and MLAs but even some of his ministers against the "indifferent" attitude of the bureaucracy towards issues they raised. Such complaints are reported to have reached the party bigwigs in Delhi, too, making it imperative for the chief minister to initiate some action to placate the dissatisfied insiders.
Yogi Adityanath went further by urging the bureaucracy "to be equally attentive to issues raised by MPs and MLAs belonging to other political parties too." As if to prove he was truly sensitive to the people's grievances, he rushed to Lucknow's civil hospital to see those injured in a fire at a posh local hotel.
Apart from holding multiple review meetings of different government departments, where his diktats are spelt out, the chief minister has also started undertaking periodical tours of other parts of the state.
During these visits to various districts, particularly in West UP, where the party is keen to strengthen its position before the 2024 national elections, he also made it a point to unroll a host of development projects, thereby sending the message that he was concerned about the economic progress of these areas. However, there can be no denying that these messages are not without political undertones or overtones.
Take the most recent visit to Rampur, where the BJP created history in the last parliamentary by-election. It drubbed the Samajwadi Party that had been holding fort in that Muslim-dominated pocket for years. The defeat sent shock waves in the SP circles as the party nominee was none other than Asim Raja, a close confidante of party stalwart and one-time powerful SP minister Azam Khan, considered the uncrowned king of Rampur.
Training his guns at the SP in general and Azam Khan in particular, against whom the BJP government had lodged 80 cases in which he remained imprisoned for about two years, Adityanath said, "Earlier, the Rampuri 'chaku' (knives for which the city is famous) had gone in wrong hands and became a tool for self-aggrandisement." He added, "But when this 'chaku' came into the good hands of the BJP, the lives of the local people stood transformed, both in terms of safety and economic development."
While launching 22 development projects for the district, the chief minister alleged, "Those who ruled the roost in the past never cared about the welfare of common people and pursued only their personal agenda, while impeding development." In an apparent reference to the incarceration of Azam Khan, he hastened to add, "It is another matter that such people had to face the consequences finally." He even claimed, "We have accomplished projects worth Rs 1200 crore in this district over the past five and a half years."
During his visit to Moradabad, he addressed the local brass manufacturers, whom he assured better export facilities. Similar meetings were held with traders and entrepreneurs in West UP districts, including Meerut, Saharanpur, Bijnore, Muzaffarnagar, Agra, Mathura, Noida, and other districts, assuring them all help to resolve their problems through a single-window operation at the state level.
Of late, another visible change was his "softer" approach towards minorities. That was perceived as a consequence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's sudden wooing of 'pasmanda' (backwards) Muslims. But Adityanath's propaganda machinery is out to impress that he was always inclusive and never discriminated against anyone based on caste, creed or religion.
"You can see his impartiality not only in the distribution of ration, allotment of houses for the poor, or in awarding pensions under different welfare schemes across the state," a senior official pointed out.
He added, "If you see the cross-section of society who come to his janata durbar at the chief minister's residence in Lucknow or even the Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur, you will be convinced that no one is discriminated against." According to him, "A large number of poor people receiving financial assistance for medical treatment hailed from the minority community."
Ironically, even as these claims were becoming louder, the chief minister did not hesitate to get the names of many municipal wards carrying Islamic connotations changed in Gorakhpur. Thus Humayunpur became Hanumant Nagar. Turkmanpur is now Shaheed Asfaqullah Nagar, Rasoolpur is Maharana Pratap Nagar, Daudpur is renamed Raghupati Sahai Firaaq Nagar, and Alinagar is Arya Nagar. Rustampur is changed to Chandrashekhar Azad chowk, and Miya Bazaar has turned into Maya Bazaar. The list is long, and it would be no exaggeration to assume that very soon, there would be no locality bearing a Muslim name in the chief minister's hometown.
Yet, the mission 'image makeover' goes on.
(Sharat Pradhan is a journalist and author based in Lucknow)
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.