0 Comment(s) *
* The moderation of comments is automated and not cleared manually by indianexpress.com.
Adityanath 2.0 could also be viewed as an important milestone on the road to 2024, given the traditional centrality assigned to the Hindi heartland state in parliamentary polls. The swearing-in of the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh for a second successive term on Friday marks an important moment for the BJP, the nation and the state. Coming alongside victories in three other states, it was the re-conquest of UP by the BJP that seemed to affirm, most of all, that its winning streak continues, that the Opposition still does not have a cogent response, and that accounts of the BJP’s national dominance being circumscribed by the states were vastly exaggerated. Adityanath 2.0 could also be viewed as an important milestone on the road to 2024, given the traditional centrality assigned to the Hindi heartland state in parliamentary polls. But now that the spectacle of the grand swearing-in is over, and with fantasies and spectres of 2024 still in the distance, the newly re-elected government must get down to addressing the victor’s challenge in the state.
The BJP has announced “Naye Bharat ka naya UP (the new UP of a new India)”, more than half of the ministers are new, but on the morning after, the government will have to deal with many of the state’s old problems congealed and sharpened by the economic slump and then Covid. In this election, even though it may not have become a vote for change, it was evident that there is distress on the ground, for which “berozgari (unemployment or joblessness)” and “mehengai (price rise)” became the shorthand — it will need to be addressed by a responsive policy and politics. The BJP reaped the reward of perceived successes on the law and order front in the first term of the Adityanath government — it was widely felt that the political tug of war at the thana (police station), seen to be a recurring feature of the SP regime, was significantly reduced. Adityanath 2.0 must build on that achievement by ensuring that the police is part of a system of rule of law, not rule by law, and that the so-called “gunda raj” of an earlier day is not replaced by a police state where due process gets short shrift. Government schemes — like the free ration scheme scheduled to end on March 31 — have played a significant role in the BJP’s victory. Here, the challenge for the new government will be to ensure that the state continues to touch the lives of citizens in ways that are enabling and enduring. Most of all, the Adityanath government needs to reach out to those who may feel excluded from its moment of triumph, and to ensure that the state’s minorities feel heard and represented as stakeholders, not just beneficiaries of the welfare scheme.
This is also an important moment for the Samajwadi Party in UP. In this election, the SP made large gains, and even though they could not lead it past the victory threshold, they are enough to make it a strong Opposition in the state — if only the party works hard and doesn’t slip into the slumber that marked much of the last term. Akhilesh Yadav has done well to resign his Lok Sabha seat and continue as Karhal MLA. He and his party must now use the Assembly floor to ask questions and stand vigil. The task is cut out — for both sides of the aisle.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd