THE BJP IS A divided house in Uttar Pradesh. The war within the party was out in the open earlier this month, when Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, an influential OBC leader, spoke up against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. His action reflected his antipathy to Yogi, whom he apparently wants deposed.
Maurya has the support of the party's Brahmin lobby under Brajesh Pathak, the other deputy chief minister. Their common grudge against Yogi is that the chief minister does not look beyond himself and his Thakur community.
If voices against Yogi are getting louder, it could not be happening without Delhi's blessings. But what turned the BJP's top brass against Yogi, whom it had anointed as chief minister in 2017? Yogi was neither Narendra Modi's choice in the first place, nor could his success stories about "transforming" UP impress the prime minister. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had pushed Yogi's name in 2017 simply as a compromise candidate in place of Modi's choice, Manoj Sinha, against whom the powerful RSS leader Krishna Gopal had strong reservations. And it was widely believed that both Modi and Shah had no plans to give Yogi a long stint.
However, backed by the massive following of his 'Nath' congregation, Yogi reinforced himself. He played the aggressive hindutva card in which his bulldozer policy came in handy. He retained power in the 2022 assembly polls, emerging as the only chief minister in decades to get a second consecutive term in Uttar Pradesh.
This story is from the August 04, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 04, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Trump And The Crisis Of Liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
