There are some who are upset and have disdain for a leader chosen by the people but the choice as Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister indicates that the Ram Mandir promise is a clear and present priority for the ruling party. His Lok Sabha profile says he is a “religious missionary and social worker.” Adityanath played a key role in the passing of the 1989 resolution which asked for the construction of a Ram temple on the site of Babri Masjid. He has supported strong laws for cow protection and is known for his firebrand politics. It seems Yogi’s choice is bound to give a signal in the public mind a front-staging of issues such as cow protection, ‘love jihad’, and forced religious conversions. Adityanath’s elevation can strengthen BJP’s ‘Hindutva’ establishment in the state, but may provide enough fodder to the opposition to attack the saffron party on lines of ‘divisive politics’. No doubt, he is a person of passion and obsession and these factors will empower a person for positive governance in UP but it may be premature to say if it is good choice or a disaster.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
