Last week saw one of the biggest questions faced by Indians -–“Why did Kathappa kill Bahubali” being replaced with “Why did Modi choose Yogi!”. Well Bahubali still has the upcoming sequel to reclaim its number Uno spot !Like any other event in Indian politics, this one comes with its own flavors. Just a peek at the reactions would give you a glimpse. There are those jubilant ones whose joy knows no bounds. They are convinced that with this decision, we are almost closer to becoming a Hindu Rashtra and that the Ram Mandir will be build tomorrow. They give you the look of “I told you so” with a twinkle in the eye. It’s another matter that more than half of them would not have put their money on the Yogi’s name had they been asked to bet before the election! There is another ‘I told you so’ category. These are the exact antithesis of the first. They are what you call the ‘Seculars’. They would give you the ‘I told you so’ look even if anyone of 323 legislators or 15 of the aspirant- non Legislators were chosen. Per their theory BJP/RSS is set to divide the country –no matter what. And what better proof than a saffron robed Yogi who has multitudes of controversial speeches to his name, anointed as the Chief Minister of UP! Between these two extremes of the pH scale, are the vast majority of us genuinely trying to figure out “Why”.
Enough has been written to answer the ‘Why’ since last two days. You have answers suited to which side of the scale you belong to. Lets look at a few starting from the left of the pH scale and moving towards the right.
1.This brings out the true colors of Modi and BJP. They always want to communalize the society. Having such a person as CM will be catastrophic to the people of UP and particularly the minorities.
2.It is clear that Modi wants to pursue the line of hard line Hindutava . The politics of development is a façade.
3.This clearly shows that the RSS is the boss and it has thrust Yogi upon Modi/Shah combine.
4.While the decision to choose the leader and CM rests with the party with majority, the credentials of this person are unbecoming of a CM.
5.Yogi is the outcome of the delicate act of balancing the cast equation in UP.
6.One wonder’s what compulsions Modi- Shah had, particularly since there are many other eligible candidates.
7.He is a good choice. But somebody more suave might have helped. After all the elections were won with a development agenda.
8.Just because he is a Yogi, doesn’t mean he will not focus of development! He is a BSc in Math’s! Have you seen his speeches in parliament?
9.This had to happen. It’s truly respecting people’s wishes. Yogi has massive support in Eastern UP. He is a 5 times MP and extremely hard working and dedicated.
10.BJP is giving a very strong message via this selection. By appointing the Yogi as CM BJP shows its commitment to Ram Temple, Hindu Rashtra and Ram Janmbhoomi has not wavered.
11.As if you had a choice! UP me Rahena hoga to Yogi Yogi kahana hoga!
So as you see, we have something for everybody! Pick and choose your reason and get convinced!. But before that, A few theories need to be out rightly debunked
1.True colors – Communalism – This is absurd for many reasons. Couple of them being a. Modi-Shah have elections to fight – around 5-7 state elections and the general elections of 2019. More importantly, the Hindus are not like a herd of sheep to vote enmass. If the BJP couldn’t muster beyond 180 at the peak of the Ayodhya movement, there’s no reason it could do now with a more globalized world. So in isolation this move would actually be counterproductive and it would be like doubting the basic political acumen of the duo!
2.RSS forced Yogi on Modi-Shah to show who the real boss is. Well in this case the real boss is Modi. Overtly and covertly. RSS has always been there. So has been the Yogi for almost two decades. Still it had to wait 14 years to get back to power. While RSS –BJP always keep their interactions and power plays under wraps, it is not so difficult to imagine that in this case, RSS was more in a consultative role at the very best.
3.Ram temple is just a matter of weeks! -Well then wait and watch! . While the Yogi may touch some low hanging fruits like closure of mechanized slaughter houses etc to make his presence felt, he always has the cover of ‘ case sub-judicial’ to keep the Ram temple aside.
Having said that, a few of the reasons, do have merit and may have led to the selection
1.Apart from development, some hardline talk from the Yogi did find resonance with people, particularly those affected by communal riots. So while the BJP wants to move forward with development they would want to keep the other pot boiling as well.
2.Yogi commands very high respect and popularity in Eastern Uttar Pradesh and generally across UP. He could very easily be the most popular leader among the current lot.
3.His age and the fact that he is a Sanyasi (above cast lines) may have gone into his favor.
While all these are good reasons, I am not that convinced! I somehow believe that Modi-Shah would not let such a historic win be obscured by selection of a controversial Yogi. Particularly with five to seven states going for elections next year and anti-incumbency looming large on BJP ruled states. They surely must have some long term plan. As kids, we were thrilled when Tendulkar played well and India won. But we were even more thrilled when Tendulkar sat out (if he were injured) and India won. Reason? Well if the team could do so well without Tenulkar, imaging what it could do with him in the side! This not only was a morale booster for the Indian side but played on the minds of opposition!. In today’s context, imaging if BJP won a state election without Modi campaigning at all and they won! That would be a tremendous morale booster for the saffron party and great demoralizer for the opposition. So what? You may ask. How does it even relate to the question at hand? Here’s how
1.Yogi by far is one of the most right wing and hardliner leaders within the BJP. Goes without saying that a certain set of people would expect nasty decisions /actions from him to prove their point.
2.It is generally believed by opponents that he has been brought in to push the hardline agenda.
Now let’s turn it around. What happens if the UP government pursues a full-fledged development agenda and with help of Centre is able to show credible progress in a couple of years’ time? Well the development in itself may not be unusual. But the differentiator is – You have Yogi at the helm. To add to this, if there were no communal disturbances and the minorities felt comfortable in two years of rule, you would have addressed the biggest fear of Muslims and thrashed the biggest claim of opponents! If having Yogi Adityanath as CM didn’t spark communal riots in UP for two years, nothing can. And looking at the development, it is proved that BJP means development and the opposition claims and fears are baseless. That –BJP would pursue developmental politics in UP is a no brainer. But in the process, if it could alleviate the fears of the minorities, you would have cracked the code ! That would really be a game changer with long lasting effects of course! So there you go!...
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