New Delhi: In the first two weeks after taking over as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath has made law and order the central focus of his administration.
Not only has he signalled a revamp of the local police force and specific targeting of land and mining mafias, but also asked his officials—like the rest of the cabinet and elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators—to disclose their assets within 15 days.
Good governance was an election pledge of the BJP and is considered among the key reasons inspiring the party’s record win in the just-concluded assembly elections. It will also be key to influencing any step-up in corporate investments in the state, which is desperate to play catch-up with the rest of the economy and generate jobs; UP, along with Bihar, has the largest youth bulge in its population.
By getting his administration and the BJP MLAs to disclose their assets, the CM is seeking to develop a compact with the citizens of UP.
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Police personnel confirm that the message from the top is loud and clear.
“The rule of law is being established at all costs. We are cracking down on criminals, especially the land mafia. We are selecting just 8-10 mafias and going after them so that it is systematically done. The behaviour of the police is being amped up and their sense of responsibility and accountability has also gone up. We are also reoccupying the public space and the report is being submitted to the director general on a regular basis,” said Sujeet Pandey, inspector general of UP police (Agra).
Senior BJP leaders in the state argue that the party came to power with a massive mandate because of its electoral promise of improving the law and order situation in the state and acting against organized crime. The recently formed anti-Romeo squads were also part of BJP’s manifesto, which promised to provide a sense of security to women and girls.
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However, Rishi Kant, a social activist with Shakti Vahini, cautioned, “The government has made it clear that they won’t tolerate crime against women. However, our law enforcement agencies need to be sensitised about such squads. There is a fear among the youth now, but the police need to handle such squads with utmost care.”
“The CM has directly started cracking down on the law and order situation in the state. There is more alertness among the police force and an increased arrests of criminals in the state. We have launched several drives to foster the protection of women and increase their safety and have also recovered several arms, ammunitions and drugs,” said Daljeet Chaudhary, additional director general (law and order) of UP Police.
Mint could not independently verify these claims.
Political analysts argue that by focusing on law and order and revamping the police force, the Adityanath administration has got off to a good start.
“The neutrality of bureaucracy and police was lost in Uttar Pradesh because of caste divisions. The first step for development is to improve the law and order situation because industries or corporate houses will not invest in a state which has law and order situation. Both the government and the chief minister have started the process on the right note,” said A.K. Verma, Kanpur-based political analyst and political science professor at Christ Church College.
