There is hardly anything that has not been said about Uttar Pradesh and its importance because of its size – 200 million people, 80 Lok Sabha MPs, Several Prime Ministers, Powerful political families, Writers, Freedom Fighters, and the biggest contributor to the labour force in Mumbai and NCR. Just think of it – The tallest Hindu gods (Ram, Krishna, and Shiva) were based out of the United Uttar Pradesh; Taj Mahal attracts the highest of foreign tourists in India, Kumbh Mela is the biggest gathering of mankind and Kashi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world
However, what is often not mentioned is the drag Uttar Pradesh is on the overall economy of the country. The political importance of Uttar Pradesh and its prized 80 MPs have ensured the state is always the battleground for political supremacy with very little or no importance being set for the development of the state. The rent seekers and local dons have ruled the state from Noida to Balia making sure no major and sustainable development is ever possible. In fact, till recently being a don (or his close associate) was considered a good career path in the state. As a half UP wala myself, I can’t count the number of times I heard “Life mein kuch karna hai toh UP se pehle nikalna hai”.
However, Uttar Pradesh was not this bad 30 years back.
In fact it was one of the better states – It had the best education institutes such as Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Roorkee, BHU plus the IIT in Kanpur. King George’s Medical College was one of the best in the country. Allahabad Agriculture University was a feeder for ICAR and agriculture research in India. UP bridge corporation was the best construction company in the country and it attracted the best minds from across the UP.
Then in 1980s, Mandal happened. Followed by Kamandal (Babri Masjid). Followed by the rise of Mandal politics of MSY and Mayawati along with uninspiring leadership from BJP. In a matter of 30 years, UP lost its shine and a whole generation. The election results of 2014 and 2017 were more about the frustration the people of UP had for the last 30 years than the chemistry of alliances or leadership.
While the result of 2017 election was overwhelming, Modi-Shah-RSS went in for a risky bet. As they say, sometimes to get out of a shitty situation, you need a maverick – A high risk player who can win it all or lose it all. Modi-Shah entrusted Yogi for the job and from the initial 7 months, it seems he is doing a great job and his stature in Indian politics is rising. Let us see some of his work:
Law & Order:
Moments after becoming the CM, Yogi stated Law and order as his top priorities. He has given a free hand to the Police and the results are here to see – As of September, there was one encounter every 12 hrs. There is finally some fear of police in UP and that itself is a huge achievement considering the baseline.
Getting the bureaucracy in shape
The state bureaucracy of UP was in disarray – destroyed by the political involvement in recruitment and general sense of no-work-no-tension. Yogi government changed this by massive transfers and by cancelling the recruitment done by the previous governments. While the impact of this is not very well documented by the media, some of the reports on twitter by common folks are really heartening to read.
Ayodhya
Yogi has turned the attention of the country back on Ayodhya once again. Thankfully this time the attention was for something positive. Ayodhya as a town and Faizabad as a district has decayed over the last 25yrs. While the courts take their sweet time to decide on the piece of land, the administration had left the town on its own. Yogi turned this Diwali into a record breaking Diwali for the city and the focus has shifted back to the city and Ram but not on the disputed site. Here lies the maverick of Yogi – The narrative in Ayodhya is now the statue of Ram, the decoration around the banks of Sarayu river. From the reports and plans for the city, it seems Yogi is planning to develop Ayodhya as a city around Ram. If he succeeds, he will basically make the SC decision on the disputed site a non-event. This will probably be his and Modi’s biggest gift to the Ram Mandir movement.
Vaccination of Kids
While the deaths in BRD hospital continues, albeit at a slower pace than previous years, Yogi government has shown its commitment to eliminating the Japani Bukhaar. Over 8.8 million kids were vaccinated prior to the monsoon and if the government continues its focus on the vaccination, the future years look to be less of a horror. Read our previous report on his work on Japani Bukaar here.
Is Yogi already a successful CM?
While the annual popularity ratings for the CMs are yet to come out for 2017, the initial days of Yogi Government have been very good. People often compare UP with states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to show how bad Yogi is doing. However, we must understand the development parameters in UP are very different from other better-doing states. There is a rationale as to why Bihar and Orissa have re-elected their CMs time and again in last 15yrs while Maharashtra and TN have seen a high churn rate at the top. In states like Bihar and UP, development is often the lack of fear of getting kidnapped while in Tamil Nadu it is setting up on a large automobile plant. Yogi’s comparison with other CMs must be re-calibrated to understand how he is performing. He has made a good start and promises to be good for the future.
Importance of Yogi for the BJP
It would not be an understatement to say that Modi’s fortune for 2019 depends on Yogi. And his performance as a CM will impact the performance of NDA in 2019 in Bihar, Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Haryana (and maybe Mumbai too). His success is paramount for the re-election of Modi. No wonder, Modi has provided Yogi Government with the best bureaucrats from across the country.
While Modi has made the move from Hindu-Hriday-Samrat to Sabka-Saath-Sabka-Vikaas, Yogi’s entry into the limelight has filled the void of a saffron champion who is ready to take risks and deliver development. His image of Hindutva along development cuts across age group and castes and hence provides the best hedge against the possible alliance of SP-BSP-Cong in UP in 2019.
Today BJP has the stable Shivraj Singh and Raman Singh, moderate Devendra Fadnavis, wily Hemant Biswas, and saffron clad Yogi in its product portfolio. While it is too early to say but Yogi appears to be the man who is likely to get Modi re-elected in 2019. Any slip by Yogi in 2019 will cost Modi his control over the BJP and will mostly end Yogi’s future in BJP.
Yogi has got several things going for himself – RSS support, Modi-Shah’s confidence, image that cuts across the castes/age group and most importantly the scope of improvement in UP. If he succeeds, he can not only ensure a saffron Ganga plains but an India where UP is not a laggard but a state that is pulling the economy forward.