Year of controversy, innovation

NEWDELHI: Last March saw two big surprises in Lucknow. Before the assembly election results emerged, few had expected the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies to sweep the country’s largest and one of the most politically complex states with 325 of 403 seats. But another surprise was in the offing — the elevation of Yogi Adityanath, the firebrand five-term Gorakhpur MP, as the new chief minister of the state.

This March saw another surprise. The BJP, comfortably set-

The UP Investors Summit-2018 was the biggest attempt by the Yogi government to attract investments in the state. PM Narendra Modi, who inaugurated the summit, announced a defence corridor for UP. Leading industrialists, including Reliance Industries Limited's Mukesh Ambani, Adani group's Gautam Adani and Kumar Mangalam Birla of Aditya Birla group also announced their investment

proposals.

In an attempt to rein in the copying mafia in UP Board examinations, the government oversaw the anti-copying measures and held video conferences with the education department officials. Yogi's message to the officials was clear - perform or perish. The procedure of examination centre allotment was made online and CCTV cameras were installed to check the use of unfair means. Due to the strict measures taken, at least 11,29,786 students quit the examination midway. After taking over as CM, Adityanath ordered the shifting of criminals to far-flung prisons to curb their activities. Soon, the police launched a state wide drive against criminals leading to a spurt in encounters. MODERNISING MADRASAS: Modernisation of madrasas remained a major policy initiative of the Yogi government. After coming to power, the government made registration of madarsas mandatory.. To bring madrasas at par with other institutions, the govt introduced NCERT books in their curriculum and made maths and science compulsory at intermediate level. tled in power in Delhi and Lucknow, looking politically invincible, lost Gorakhpur and Phulpur — Adityanath and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s seats. The party was shocked.

Between the win and the loss was a year, the year of Adityanath government in UP. It is a term that has been marked by continuity and departure; by controversies and innovations.

The year began with the BJP government in the state implementing two of its key campaign promises. It set up anti-romeo squads to tackle women harassment. Some appreciated it, but it also turned into a tool for moral policing and harassment by local officials. It also cracked down on slaughter houses on the grounds that illegal cow slaughter was taking place on a rampant scale and there were health and environment issues at stake. But the government intervention hit livelihoods hard and disrupted a complex network of inter-dependence between farmers and allied occupations.

The Adityanath government has been given credit for improving the power situation in the state; for improving roads; and for bringing a seriousness and focus to engagement with indus-

Soon after the Yogi government took over the reins, it ordered the constitution of anti-romeo squads to check harassment of girls. However, alleged incidents of police harassing couples drew criticism. The CM later ordered that guidelines should be frame to ensure that innocent people did not face harassment

Two days after Yogi took over as CM, the govt announced closure of illegal slaughterhouses in the state. The order affected meat traders across UP as most of the slaughterhouses had not been conforming to norms. The govt launched drives against roadside shops selling meat and the 'ripple effect' was visible on traditional eateries

In July last year, a powder was found inside the state assembly while the session was on. The police suspected the powder to be PETN - an explosive, which was later uled out

Discovery of mass HIV infections in three villages of in Unnao rattled the state government in February. At least 58 people were tested positive for HIV after a quack allegedly used the same syringe to administer injections to all of them.

LOOKING BACK While Yogi govt has been given credit for building infra, it has faced flak for ‘extrajudicial’ killings

try. All these, its supporters hold, will have long-term benefits. Critics, however, are sceptical of the claims.

But the most controversial twin legacy of the Adityanath government so far has been its record on law and order and caste.

The government claims there has been massive improvement; criminals are scared; and there is fear of the rule of law. This has happened because of a crackdown.

Critics, however, have documented that the government has resorted to extra judicial executions, ‘encounters’, targeting peo- ple arbitrarily and illegally and creating an atmosphere of fear. The other issue Adityanath has to contend with both politically and in terms of governance is caste.

With a perception that the return of the BJP at the helm has meant the return of upper castes, the party is seeing erosion in the support of backward and Dalit communities.

With the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) allying, and BJP’S own social alliance fraying, Adityanath second year in office will be tougher than the first.

He has a formidable challenge ahead in 2019. LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh made a fresh beginning in the past one year and the second year will prove to be even better for the state as the agenda for development is on the right track, CM Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday. “There was a time in UP when two riots used to take place every week but none took place in the past year,” he said.