Back to Babri Era: With Adityanath’s Rise, It’s 1992 Once Again

With Adityanath as UP CM, the BJP’s ‘vikas’ agenda seems to have to have been pushed to the background. (Photo: Rhythum Seth/The Quint)

It took me a while to absorb the surprise the BJP threw up on 25 March by selecting Yogi Adityanath as UP’s CM. Choosing him as the chief minister of a sensitive state like Uttar Pradesh, is by far, the most audacious ideological move we have seen since 2014. To call Yogi controversial is an understatement.

With his elevation, BJP’s saffron surge has gone another extra mile. The message seems clear – the secular liberals can go to hell, the party is not unapologetic about its core beliefs, and that the Hindutva agenda is back and ready to steer the party ahead of the 2019 elections.

Also Read: They Need Protection, Not Independence: How CM Yogi Views Women

How BJP Missed an Opportunity

In the UP elections, many voters defied the set paradigms of identity politics and voted for the BJP. Even a section of Muslims chose to vote for the BJP. If it was social engineering and a veneer of mild Hindutva on the ground, the larger narrative of inclusive development bolstered BJP’s electoral fortunes.

The BJP had an opportunity to steer UP out of identity politics and present a glimpse of its shift from majoritarianism to inclusion. Well, for now, its decision to elevate Adityanath is a crushing blow to the politics of inclusion and secularism.

Also Read: Yogi Adityanath’s First Major Step: Anti-Romeo Squads Set Up in UP

What Explains Yogi’s Elevation

Several theories have surfaced since this elevation; media reports have begun to focus on plausible implications of Yogi holding the office of CM.

This seems a step in direction towards a grand ‘Hindu Rashtra’ plan, turning UP into another Hindu laboratory after Gujarat. Should this be seen as a shift from BJP’s nuanced development agenda?

With a mandate like this, it could have gone with a more moderate figure for CM. But instead of taking a middle path, the BJP decided to allow the fringe to take centre stage.

Is it a Calculated Risk?

Naming a hardliner as CM is one heck of a risk to take. Yogi is a leader whose aggression is his strength; he defies party logic and sets his own agenda. A strong Adityanath could well be the beginning of the end of Modi’s magic.

Obviously Modi doesn’t see him as a development icon. Yogi could be a strong administrator (that too is untested) but he definitely lacks a vision for UP.

Extremist forces could take Yogi’s appointment as an invitation to take their agenda forward; sectarian exclusion and backlash could become the new normal.

Why did Modi then take such a chance, especially when everything is going his way and 2019 also seems to be coming his way?

Mandir Politics Takes Centre Stage

With this, Modi seems to be willing to piggyback the agenda of Hindu nationalism on its development pitch. After the decision was made in favour of Yogi, the crowd roared “Desh mein Modi, Pradesh mein Yogi”, followed by “Jai Shri Ram”.

With Yogi Adityanath at the helm, the Sangh aims to cobble together the greater and divided ‘Hindu Samaj’ .

Observers are wary of Adityanath's credentials with respect to development. People have gone to the extent of suggesting that the ‘Mandir politics’ of 1992 is back.

Commentaries and rancorous quotes from Yogi have rankled the virtual world since he was announced the CM choice. The old politics is back and it is scary. All the talk about development seems to have lost its relevance for now.

There is no other way of analysing this elevation. We can perhaps laugh, now that the sheen is finally off the ‘vikas’ agenda, but that will at our own expense.

Development Takes Back Seat

Ironically, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said this victory was a watershed moment for the BJP. No doubt, every political party has its Adityanath but rarely does someone chooses to project them as mainstream.

The people of UP are now staring at an uncertain future.

In his roughly 20-year political career, Yogi has never spoken of real issues. His campaign speeches have centred on hatred and exclusion. With him as the CM, can UP now think of moving fast on the road to development?

The opposition will rise from its slumber and get its act together. This could prove to be the common cause required to get them together. The politics of UP is set to return to the ‘communal versus secular’ debate in 2019, followed by a similar discourse in 2022. Do not expect development to be the core of electioneering for another five years. We are all back to ground zero, a full circle from 1992 to 2017.

(The writer is a social researcher and a freelance travel writer and can be reached @aakashmehrotra. This is a personal blog and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)

Also Read: Yogi Barely Bearable: Does Modi Truly Believe UP Needs Adityanath?