In Gorakhpur, a war rages among Yogi Adityanath’s soldiers
GORAKHPUR: In every rally of Yogi Adityanath across eastern UP districts, several of which will go to polls on March 4, sloganeering workers with saffron bands make it a point to be right next to the stage.
“Jo Maharaji ka aadesh, wahi karenge (we will do whatever the leader orders),” Rajesh Yadav, one of the workers, said in Deoria, asserting the support of vahini to its founder, a BJP MP.
The right-wing youth outfit, which Adityanath floated in 2002, has decided to field several candidates in eastern UP against the BJP, even as he remains the star campaigner for the party. In Gorakhpur alone, the organisation is fighting on eight seats and giving its support to ten others around the constituency.
People like Rajesh Yadav are not willing to speak about rebels such as Sunil Singh, former president of the organisation who has been expelled now by Adityanath. Sunil Singh, however, swears by his “guru” Adityanath.
“Maharaj has become Bhishma. We, the expelled members, are the Pandavas. He can’t support us because of his political compulsions, but we are fighting for his honour.” “The BJP has only used Adityanath to increase its chances and not given him his due place,” Sunil Singh said.
“Maharaj had taught us in 2002 to fight for honour and as a chela (disciple), I am only doing that,” he said. The BJP has insulted the MP by not making him a minister or the CM face, and not giving tickets to his candidates, Sunil Singh added.
Sunil Singh has resolved to support candidates fighting the BJP across Poorvanchal while his own candidates are fighting on an alliance with the Shiv Sena. “It doesn’t mean I am joining the Sena. My loyalty is only to Yogi Adityanath.”
According to him, everything that the rebel group is doing has the “aashirwaad (blessing)” of Adityanath. “There is nothing that can happen here without his consent.”
Sunil Singh said in 2002, too, the organisation after taking blessings from Adityanath had rebelled against the BJP and had succeeded in making their candidates lose.
Adityanath is, however, dismissive of the rift. Last month, addressing a meeting of vahini workers, he had said: “Jisko kachre ki tarah nikal bahar kiya hai, uski kisi bhi tippani pe humein kuch lena dena nahin hai (We have nothing to do with someone we have thrown out like garbage.)”
The Hindu Yuva Vahini is present in almost every district of east UP and has hundreds of members. “In early 2000, Hindus here were being lured into religious conversions with a strip of paracetamol and 2 kg of dal around Gorakhpur.
We stopped that,” said Sunil Singh, adding that the organisation’s other main job was to “check the growth of madrasas and illegal cattle smuggling” on the Indo-Nepal border.
The organisation, say its members, does the job of a defence organisation. “When Nepal was under communists all these years, the vahini did the work of defending borders,” present vahini chief PK Mall told ET, iterating that despite the rebellion, the organisation was firmly with the BJP.
Adityanath’s organisation has brought Gorakhpur to a standstill several times. Its main fight is to protect Hindus of Gorakhpur from “the mini-Pakistan of Azamgarh”.
Locals in Gorakhpur, however, say it is Adityanath who matters to them and that he is with the BJP is enough for them to vote for the party. “Baba’s work here has direct impact on many lives.
It is a big possibility that he will become the CM if BJP wins. People will vote for the party,” Nirmal Yadav, a businessman, said.
While some believe rebels such as Sunil Singh are floating this controversy for their political interests, others such as local resident Amar Sinha feel this cannot be done without the consent of Adityanath.
“Jo Maharaji ka aadesh, wahi karenge (we will do whatever the leader orders),” Rajesh Yadav, one of the workers, said in Deoria, asserting the support of vahini to its founder, a BJP MP.
The right-wing youth outfit, which Adityanath floated in 2002, has decided to field several candidates in eastern UP against the BJP, even as he remains the star campaigner for the party. In Gorakhpur alone, the organisation is fighting on eight seats and giving its support to ten others around the constituency.
People like Rajesh Yadav are not willing to speak about rebels such as Sunil Singh, former president of the organisation who has been expelled now by Adityanath. Sunil Singh, however, swears by his “guru” Adityanath.
“Maharaj has become Bhishma. We, the expelled members, are the Pandavas. He can’t support us because of his political compulsions, but we are fighting for his honour.” “The BJP has only used Adityanath to increase its chances and not given him his due place,” Sunil Singh said.
“Maharaj had taught us in 2002 to fight for honour and as a chela (disciple), I am only doing that,” he said. The BJP has insulted the MP by not making him a minister or the CM face, and not giving tickets to his candidates, Sunil Singh added.
Sunil Singh has resolved to support candidates fighting the BJP across Poorvanchal while his own candidates are fighting on an alliance with the Shiv Sena. “It doesn’t mean I am joining the Sena. My loyalty is only to Yogi Adityanath.”
According to him, everything that the rebel group is doing has the “aashirwaad (blessing)” of Adityanath. “There is nothing that can happen here without his consent.”
Sunil Singh said in 2002, too, the organisation after taking blessings from Adityanath had rebelled against the BJP and had succeeded in making their candidates lose.
Adityanath is, however, dismissive of the rift. Last month, addressing a meeting of vahini workers, he had said: “Jisko kachre ki tarah nikal bahar kiya hai, uski kisi bhi tippani pe humein kuch lena dena nahin hai (We have nothing to do with someone we have thrown out like garbage.)”
The Hindu Yuva Vahini is present in almost every district of east UP and has hundreds of members. “In early 2000, Hindus here were being lured into religious conversions with a strip of paracetamol and 2 kg of dal around Gorakhpur.
We stopped that,” said Sunil Singh, adding that the organisation’s other main job was to “check the growth of madrasas and illegal cattle smuggling” on the Indo-Nepal border.
The organisation, say its members, does the job of a defence organisation. “When Nepal was under communists all these years, the vahini did the work of defending borders,” present vahini chief PK Mall told ET, iterating that despite the rebellion, the organisation was firmly with the BJP.
Adityanath’s organisation has brought Gorakhpur to a standstill several times. Its main fight is to protect Hindus of Gorakhpur from “the mini-Pakistan of Azamgarh”.
Locals in Gorakhpur, however, say it is Adityanath who matters to them and that he is with the BJP is enough for them to vote for the party. “Baba’s work here has direct impact on many lives.
It is a big possibility that he will become the CM if BJP wins. People will vote for the party,” Nirmal Yadav, a businessman, said.
While some believe rebels such as Sunil Singh are floating this controversy for their political interests, others such as local resident Amar Sinha feel this cannot be done without the consent of Adityanath.
