In the 2022 UP assembly elections, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath got the title of ‘Bulldozer Baba’. Like Brand Modi, which has been running in the country for ten years, Bulldozer Baba also became a political brand in Uttar Pradesh – but the Supreme Court has, in a way, put a blanket ban on bulldozer action for the time being.
The Supreme Court has told all the state governments of the country that not only in the case of the accused, but also in the cases of conviction by the court, such course of action will be decided by the court. Any further action will be taken only after the court’s guidelines are decided. The next date of hearing has been fixed as September 17, 2024.
The Supreme Court bench hearing the petitions related to the case has clearly said, we will set guidelines for the entire country… but this does not mean that we will protect any unauthorized construction.
If we look at it, encounter politics and bulldozer justice have played a major role in the growth of Yogi Adityanath, who rose to the position of UP Chief Minister through campaigns like love jihad and ghar wapsi. Yogi Adityanath’s politics is going to be affected the most by the latest order of the Supreme Court.
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Justice BR Gavai asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was representing the Uttar Pradesh government in the Supreme Court, how can someone’s house be demolished merely on the basis that he is an accused in some case?
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued, ‘We have shown through affidavit… the notice was sent long ago.’ He said, the demolition process has no connection with any crime.
In response to Tushar Mehta, senior advocates Dushyant Dave and CU Singh, who are pleading on behalf of the petitioners, said that the houses were demolished because he is an accused in some case.
Justice BR Gavai made it clear that even if a person is guilty, his house cannot be demolished without following the due process of law.
After becoming the Chief Minister of UP in 2017, Yogi Adityanath launched several such campaigns one by one whose impact can be assessed separately, but it was found that they caused more controversies than impact. Anti Romeo Squad, and police encounters in which stories ranging from a policeman’s own gunshot to a car overturning kept getting added. An undeclared campaign was also called Operation Langda in hushed tones in the police department, in which alleged criminals were shot in the leg during encounters, so that they would not be able to commit crimes.
And the bulldozer action has been terrorizing in itself. However, from the affidavits of Tushar Mehta and the UP government, it seems that such action has been taken at the local level by the development authorities or the municipal corporation. It is also being said that the action was taken because those constructions were illegal. It may be so, it is also possible that they were given notices for that. It is also seen that after the notices are given at the local level, the concerned parties try to find a middle way by meeting the employees and officials, in which apart from more connections and political influence, methods of corruption are also used – and this continues, until the administration is forced to demolish the building.
There could be many reasons, but Yogi Adityanath has benefited a lot politically from the bulldozer action – and whether anything else has happened or not, Yogi Adityanath has become Bulldozer Baba among his supporters.
New tools will have to be found to maintain the image
It is not that the bulldozer action has been going on for no reason. People in some areas of Lucknow were upset after some houses were marked. When such people reached the Chief Minister’s residence with their complaints, Yogi Adityanath assured them and the action was stopped. Then Yogi Adityanath had said, whether it is Pantnagar or Indraprastha Nagar, the government is committed to the safety and peaceful life of the people living there. The flood plain zones marked as per the NGT orders also have private land, but there is neither any need nor any proposal to vacate the private land.
If we understand the strictness of the Supreme Court, it does not seem that such a situation will arise again. In such a situation, Yogi Adityanath will have to start a new campaign, which can at least maintain his image of Bulldozer Baba, if not take it forward.
It is possible that Yogi Adityanath may take some step like West Bengal, inspired by Mamata Banerjee. Just like Mamata Banerjee is bringing an anti-rape bill in West Bengal for quick justice in rape cases, Yogi Adityanath can also make a law for running bulldozers in UP if he wants.
The impact will be known only from the results of the by-elections
It is not that bulldozer action has been seen only in Uttar Pradesh, during the Congress government in Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot also got bulldozers used in similar cases as Yogi Adityanath has been doing – and when BMC’s bulldozer was used on Kangana Ranaut’s office in Mumbai, then there was Maha Vikas Aghadi government, in which Congress was also included, and Uddhav Thackeray used to be the Chief Minister.
Apart from being a staunch Hindu leader, Yogi Adityanath’s image was also being built as a strict administrator. He is a leader who deals with anyone who comes in the way of his political line of Hindutva in a bulldozer style. During the elections, one of Yogi Adityanath’s statements was quite popular, ‘After March 10, we will cool down the heat.’ The results of the 2022 UP assembly elections were declared on March 10, and even before that, Yogi Adityanath seemed full of confidence despite being at loggerheads with the central leadership of the BJP.
The image of Yogi Adityanath has been enhanced so far due to the important role of love jihad and ghar wapsi campaign. Earlier, the role of Hindu Yuva Vahini in enhancing the image of Yogi Adityanath was played by bulldozers. During the election campaign, bulldozers were also kept in Yogi’s rallies just like emergency arrangements like ambulances and fire brigades are made. The real effect of the latest order of the Supreme Court can also be seen in the results of the by-elections to be held in UP.
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