Amidst speculation of early assembly elections in Gujarat, the political parties in the region are prepping up to sweep the state. However, it seems that the thumping victory of BJP in Uttar Pradesh has made the political giants believe that the Yogi model can lead them to win any political race. As a consequence, the other states too have begun adopting the Yogi model and Gujarat is no different.
Gujarat administration’s demolition drive
Following the demolition drive (Yogi model) in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, the Gujarat state administration too has cracked down on the illegal property of a miscreant and goon who has been identified as Siraj alias ‘Siro Don’ alias ‘Don Hussain Khalyani Botadwala.’ Reportedly, Siraj was put behind the bars by the police on May 8.
Why you may ask? Well, on May 5, Siraj had threatened Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader and businessman Mahendrabhai Laljibhai Mali alias Munnabhai Mali to kill him.
Siraj had said, “You too will have to face the same consequences as Kishan Bharwad.”
Munnabhai Mali had lodged a complaint in this regard at Botad police station on May 7, 2022. The accused Siro Don has a very long criminal history with 34 cases registered against him.
He further said, “In the village, you have put a loudspeaker on Hanuman Ji’s temple. Remove that loudspeaker as soon as possible, otherwise, you will have the same result as Kishan Bharwad. After all, what will you do to us? If I drag you into the car and kidnap you, you won’t be able to do anything. We are keeping an eye on all of you. Stay within your limits, or I’ll kill you.”
After this, he shouted on the road and threatened to kill businessman Munnabhai Mali again.
Crackdown after Ram Navami processions
As the entire nation was celebrating Ram Navami last month, communal violence marred the festivities in four states of the country. From Gujarat to West Bengal; from Jharkhand to Madhya Pradesh – Islamists tried to derail the joyous celebration of Bhagwan Shri Ram’s arrival. They instigated Hindus celebrating Ram Navami and pelted stones at processions.
However, following the demolition drive in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, the civic body in Gujarat’s Himmatnagar town too stepped in with the decision to demolish shacks, kiosks and a portion of a shop building. The properties were demolished as part of an “anti-encroachment” drive.
“In today’s anti-encroachment drive, we removed 3-4 kiosks, 2-3 shanties and a two-storey shop building on T P Road in Chhaparia,” said Navneet Patel, the chief municipal officer of Himmatnagar in Sabarkantha district.
Read more: Sreenivasan Jain blames Hindus for attack on Hindus by Muslims on Ramnavami
“About three metres of the 15-metre road was encroached on by the building owners who had extended the illegal construction. We had sent notices in 2020. It was a routine anti-encroachment drive and nothing to do with the incidents that occurred on April 10. We will continue to take similar action in other areas as well,” Patel reported.
Kishan Bharwad Murder case
Dhandhuka Taluka in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad district recently witnessed a gruesome murder of an innocent, cow-loving Hindu. Kishan Bharwad was murdered on January 25 after he allegedly uploaded a post on social media ‘against’ Muslims. Kishan had shared a post that showed Jesus as ‘Son of God’, Prophet Muhammad as ‘Prophet of God’ and Shree Krishna as ‘The God’. This outraged a sea of Islamists, who, inspired by radical Maulanas – killed Kishan Bharwad.
Read more: Hijab row successfully buried the case of Lavanya, Kishan Bharwad, and Rupesh Pandey
Maulana Qamar Gani Usmani was arrested from Delhi by the Gujarat ATS on January 30 in connection with the sensational murder of the 27-year-old. The Rajkot Special Operations Group (SOG) arrested Azim Bashir, who is accused of supplying a pistol and cartridges to Usmani. Earlier this month, Gujarat ATS arrested Maulana Ayubon for suspicion of acts of terrorism. The ATS has added a Section of the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Act 3(1)(1) and 3(2) Unlawful Activities Prevention Act against the accused.
You see, demolition drive is the only solution for goons and mafias like Siraj. Thus, it was necessary for the Gujarat administration to crack down on the illegal properties of Siraj. Moreover, it can politically benefit the ruling party in the upcoming elections as the Yogi model never fails and the Gujarat administration has realised it. It would be interesting to witness how the move will affect the party’s stature in the state and will further affect the assembly elections which are assumed to take place in December 2022.