The Monk With a Mission!

Three years into his term, UP CM Yogi Adityanath has emerged stronger as a politician, and administrator

If one thought Hindutva, religiosity and Bharatiyata was antithetical to progress, peace and prosperity, they should examine life and work of Yogi Adityanath, the monk, the visionary and the administrator. For once they do an objective analysis of the chief minister of India’s largest state of Uttar Pradesh, they would learn that they were so woefully wrong in their understanding and comprehension of the ethos of Bharat and the overarching philosophy of Hinduism that governs her.

Yogi Adityanath represents a new strand of politics that is honest, transparent, liberal and inclusive. He has presented a new model of governance that while being incisively focussed on development is also equally secular, scientific, sanguine and visionary. Yogi Adityanath’s three years of chief ministership of UP, when juxtaposed with his over two decades’ record of being a people’s representative as a Parliamentarian, presents a remarkable story of extraordinary commitment to public service.

The Political Milieu

This has come about because of the milieu in which Adityanath was groomed into politics. It was much distinct from regular political trajectory that one normally sees. A simple man, who grew up with values of sacrifice, respect, religiosity and brotherhood, and went on to become a monk, Yogi Adityanath acquired it early in life that public welfare was the core philosophy of politics. For him it was the finest tool of bringing about change, and ensuring smiles on face of people. So intense was his passion for people, that at an age when people chase wealth and fame, Yogi Adityanath chose to embrace sacrifice and spent his days and nights trying to wipe tears from sad faces. While a section of the press and intellectuals compellingly label him as representing aggressive Hindu Nationalism, objective analysis of his track record of governance defies this comprehensively.

MP and Perennially People’s Man

There are innumerable stories of how intensely he was committed to ensuring help to people – of all hues, religion and creed. As a Member of Parliament of Gorakhpur and head priest of Gorakhnath Temple, Yogi Adityanath spent his youth serving the people of his constituency and whoever came seeking any help – innumerable Muslims are beneficiaries of his generosity. Becoming an MP at the young age of 26 was a testimony to his popularity and he never let power get into his head as he continued his tirade against evils in the society

Three Years of Unfettered Progress in UP

As Chief Minister of India’s largest state, Yogi Adityanath got his priorities right from the word go. From addressing aspirations and needs of farmers to strengthening law and order, firming up infrastructure, and making the state an attractive destination for investors, the state has seen substantial progress in the past 36 months. Some data speak for itself.

Farmers have been high on priority of the government. In addition to waiving off the loans of 86 lakh farmers worth Rs 36,000 crore soon after he took charge, Yogi Adityanath government also made a whopping payment of Rs 92,000 crore to sugarcane farmers. Additionally, Rs 12,000 crore has been transferred to UP farmers under the PM Kisan Salman Nidhi. Mechanisation is a core focus and in the recent Budget the government has proposed to provide 40,000 machineries to 22000 farmers groups.

Connectivity has been a major focus for UP administration and as a result there has been major push to expressways and airports. The upcoming Purvanchal Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, Gorakhpur Link Expressway and Ganga Expressway promise to become the lifeline of northern India connecting it with rest of India. It is no coincidence that India’s largest Jewar airport is also being built here, in addition to the seven new airports that have sprung up under Yogi government. There are 12 more airports in the pipeline besides proposed rapid urban transport systems in Kanpur, Jhansi, Varanasi, Agra, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur and Meerut. In fact only between Kanpur and Agra Metro project, there is an estimated budget of Rs 20,000 cr.

Attracting investments has been a major focus for the government and it has worked expeditiously in this area including making 21 investor friendly policies and setting up of a single-window investment portal for speedy approvals. Little wonder, the 2018 Investors Summit saw a whopping investment proposition of Rs 4.68 lakh crore and out of which 317 projects with investments of Rs 500 cr are already underway.

Law and order has seen special attention of the UP government under Yogi Adityanath. Recently, the government introduced the much-needed Commissionerate System in Lucknow and Gautam Budh Nagar, in addition to introducing series of other reforms including setting up 41 new police stations and recruitment of 1.37 lakh police personnel, substantially adding to the police – people ratio in the state.

One of the defining features of this government has been zero tolerance on corruption and not many would know that in last two years alone, on an average about 250 officers have been compulsorily retired – that’s 10 officers per month, on an average. Additionally, punitive action including demotion and suspension has been initiated against 450 officers in last two years. This certainly augurs well for a system which is infected with corruption and apathy.

This side of the Yogi, exhibiting excellence in administration and intense penchant for progress, is something that’s rarely been spoken or written about. Analyzing these carefully, one leaves with little doubt that the Yogi is on a mission.