How Yogi drove transformational law and order changes
Yogi Adityanath’s leadership has been applauded since 2017, when he morphed from an MP to chief minister in less than five months. At the outset of his term, Yogi Adityanath had declared his intention to make criminal justice reform a substantial part of his legacy.
He entered the office with the determination to resolve the decade-long problem of law and order in five years, and in the past 4.5 years, has managed to radically transform and improve the law and order situation of India’s most populous (24 crore people) and challenging state.
For the past one decade, Uttar Pradesh was marred with problems of rampant crime, but Yogi’s governance has changed the state beyond all recognition from the chaotic, gangster-dominated state to being the first choice for both national and global industries and investors.
The biggest problem the state faced prior to 2017 was of syndicated and organised crime. The architects of this multi-tier crime nexus were mafias who turned politicians. They enjoyed full support from the previous governments and had impunity due to their connections. There was no action on these criminals or effective follow-up on their crime. The police were scared to file a case or arrest them. However, with Yogi’s arrival, this political patronage was broken.
Mafias and gangsters, who were audacious to the extent of harassing police officers in the previous regime, are now behind bars. Under Yogi, the state has pursued the policy of “zero tolerance” towards crime and criminals, which is the reason why many with criminal background have either left the state, are behind bars or on the run or have given up criminal activities.
Their illegal properties have been seized and the lands occupied by force and illegally have also been freed. The government in the past 4.5 years has freed 67,000 acres of land (the size of Lucknow) and priority has been given to making sports grounds on it. The government further plans to build houses for the poor and Dalits on the confiscated land of the mafia.
Land-grabbing culture was also quite rampant previously. Police never registered FIRs as these grabbers exercised influence.
But in Yogi’s rule, that culture has now been squashed and people have started lodging FIRs as they know effective action will be taken. Land grabbers have become fearful and have put a full stop to this practice.
Also, there is no more harassment of businessmen by gangsters who would extort and exploit businessmen, which ultimately led to a negative perception of the state. Yogi has now assured the rule of law in the state which has propelled the image of the state and has encouraged more businesses and industries to invest in UP without any apprehensions and tap into UP’s huge potential and the large market size that the state offers. Yogi has painstakingly worked to bring Uttar Pradesh to a stage where the state is now one of the main drivers of the country’s economy.
Yogi Adityanath has been alluded to as Uttar Pradesh’s “first development-oriented CM”. Yogi was selected on a wave of economic populism and a promise to transform the image of the state in which he has been successful.
The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Uttar Pradesh grew at a CAGR of around 8.43% between 2015-16 and 2020-21 to reach Rs 17.06 trillion (US$ 234.96 billion). The Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) grew at a CAGR of around 8.42% between 2015-16 and 2020-21 to reach Rs 15.12 trillion (US$ 208.34 billion). It is Yogi’s ambition of powering UP into a $1 trillion economy state behind organising Global Investors Summit in 2018 which attracted 1045 intents with investments worth Rs 4.28 lakh crore.
Four-and-a-half years after occupying office, the unemployment rate of Uttar Pradesh reached 4.4% which was the lowest it has been in a decade. The current unemployment rate in Uttar Pradesh stands at 7.0 % as per the September 2021 report of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), which is better than Maharashtra’s 11.8% unemployment rate while Kerala has a 7.8% unemployment rate.
Prior to 2017, unemployment was above 18% and with the arrival of Yogi Adityanath and his commitment towards ensuring employment, the unemployment rate has remained well below 10%.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the top investment destination and has received 98 investment proposals worth Rs 58,000 crore even during the pandemic. The state, ranked number 2 in the country for “Ease of Doing Business”, has become the hotspot for foreign investors as well. Investment and development projects have become the medium of employment generation on a large scale.
The reason why Samsung moved its large display unit from China to Noida, footwear giant Von Wellx shifted production from China to Agra and Adani shut its Logistics Park in Punjab and is now investing in Noida’s data centre.
Yogi’s critics may call him names like “Hindu nationalist”, but most still point to the stability he has brought to the state and the way he has managed to project Uttar Pradesh as a transformed state. Today Yogi’s idea of “transformational change” in UP resonates with people of every segment and his appeal as a leader stretches beyond politics; as a common man’s sewak (servitor).
Furthermore, Yogi’s deft handling of the Covid-19 outbreak and resolute belief in science and experts was credited with earning the trust of the citizens of the state and minimising the loss of life due to the pandemic. He ensured safeguarding of both lives and livelihoods when most other states focused on just one aspect. This is the reason why Yogi’s popularity will be at the forefront of the BJP’s campaign for the 2022 elections.