Yogi Adityanath to be the new UP Chief Minister

Priest-turned politician Yogi Adityanath, the controversial mascot of hardline Hindutva, was today named as next Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, in a move by the BJP that took many by surprise.

Ending the suspense exactly a week after BJP won a three-fourths majority in the key Hindi heartland state and stormed back to power after 15 years, the 44-year-old five-term MP from Gorakhpur was unanimously elected the BJP legislature party leader at a meeting of the newly elected MLAs.

Adityanath will be sworn in tomorrow at a ceremony at Kanshiram Smriti Upvan here at 2.15 p.m. where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah will be present.

State BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya, who was himself in contention for the top job besides union minister Manoj Sinha, first announced Adityanath’s election amid speculation that the RSS pushed for Yogi’s candidature.

Maurya, the MP from Phulpur in Allahabad, will be the deputy chief minister apart from senior BJP leader and Lucknow Mayor Dinesh Sharma.

Adityanath, who lacks administrative experience, will be the 21st chief minister of UP and the fourth from the saffron party.

After his election, Adityanath met Governor Ram Naik and said he was invited to form the government in UP.

He said he would follow Prime Minister Modi’s slogan “sab ka saath, sab ka vikas” and ensure all round development of the the country’s most populous state.

“I am confident that the state will march on the path of development,” he said in his first brief media interaction at the Raj Bhawan.

The Yogi said his efforts would be to provide “good governance” in the state.

Adityanath has several criminal cases against him. He has been charged in the past with rioting, attempt to murder, armed with deadly weapon, endangering life or personal safety of others, unlawful assembly, trespassing on burial places and criminal intimidation.

A murder case is going on in the court of CJM, Maharajganj, according to his 2014 election affidavit.

He is not known to enjoy good rapport with the BJP leadership and his elevation has left many puzzled, with political circles abuzz with talk of RSS having prevailed over the party in deciding the new chief minister.

Often caught in controversy because of his speeches, Adityanath allegedly led a “purification” drive for conversion of Christians to Hinduism in 2005.

In 2015, he reportedly said those who oppose yoga can leave India and that they should all be drowned.

He was arrested for allegedly inciting Gorakhpur riots in 2007.

Adityanath, considered a divisive political figure, enjoys considerable popularity in the state and is known to make provocative statements, be it about Islam or Pakistan.

A strong votary of construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, Adityanath drove BJP’s Hindutva campaign in the eastern UP in the just concluded Assembly polls.

Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who along with BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav was present at the meeting as central observer for the election, told a press conference that Adityanath’s name was proposed by Suresh Khanna, an 8— term MLA, and seconded by 10 others.

Naidu said even after the proposal was made, he asked the 312 newly elected MLAs if they wanted to propose anybody else for the post, but they all backed Adityanath unanimously.

Naidu said that the Yogi then said he needed two deputy CMs to assist him in the gigantic task, following which it was decided that Maurya and Sharma would hold the posts.

As the meeting was about to begin, an element of surprise gripped the venue when Adityanath reached Lok Bhawan opposite the imposing Assembly complex.

Midway through the meeting, Sharma was asked to attend the deliberations.

Interestingly, none of the three is a legislator in UP.

As soon as it was decided that the saffron—robed Gorakhpur MP will hold the reins of the state that raised eyebrows, party leaders and MLAs rushed to the dais with sweets and garlands.

Yogi Adityanath Profile :

Adityanath has had a strained relation with the BJP for more than a decade. With the emergence of a separate powerbase in eastern UP, he has been seeking greater power, causing further conflicts.

In December 2006, Adityanath had organised a three-day Virat Hindu Mahasammelan at Gorakhpur, during the same period when the BJP was holding its National Executive Meet in Lucknow.

The 2007 elections saw a conflict between Adityanath and the BJP leadership — he wanted more than hundred seats in this region to go to candidates selected by him, but the party leadership would not agree.

Subsequently, a compromise agreement was reached, possibly with inputs from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and eight of his candidates were fielded.

In March 2010, Adityanath was one of several BJP MPs who started the defiance to the party whip on the Women’s Reservation Bill.

Adityanath is the Mahant (head priest) of the Gorakhnath Mutt, a Hindu temple in Gorakhpur, following the death of his spiritual “father,” Mahant Avaidyanath in September 2014.

Though known more for his rightist Hindu politics, it is to his credit that people in Gorakhpur, especially around the temple, hold him in high esteem irrespective of whichever caste or community they belong to.

Even Muslims around the temple are given protection by the Yogi.

He is also the founder of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, a social, cultural and nationalist group of youth who seek to provide rightist Hindu platform.

Yogi Adityanath comes from a Rajput family. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Science from Uttarakhand

In January 2007, an altercation involving a Hindu group and Muslims broke out during a Muharram procession in Gorakhpur which led to the hospitalisation of a young Hindu, Raj Kumar Agrahari.

The District Magistrate had made it clear that Adityanath should not visit the site as it may inflame tensions.

He initially agreed but after Agrahari died, he disobeyed the magistrate and travelled to the site with a group of his followers.

Adityanath then started a non—violent dharna on the site.

However, inflammatory speeches were made and some of his followers even set fire to a nearby mazar (Muslim mausoleum).

Curfew was imposed by the local police, but Adityanath broke it and was subsequently jailed.

He was arrested and remanded for a fortnight, on charges of disturbing peace. His arrest led to further unrest and several coaches of the Mumbai bound Mumbai—Gorakhpur Godan Express were burnt, allegedly by protesting Hindu Yuva Vahini activists.

The tensions escalated to riots across Gorakhpur leading to the burning of mosques, homes, buses and trains.

During the intolerance debate in the media, Adityanath compared Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan to Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed.

He had said, “Shah Rukh Khan should remember that majority population of the country made him the star, and if they boycott his films, he will also have to wander on streets. It is unfortunate SRK is speaking the same language that of Hafiz Saeed.”

That he is not someone who minces words while expressing himself was was manifested when he came out full throttle for yoga in the midst of controversy over the issue saying that those who oppose Surya Namaskar can leave India.

He also made a request that those who see communalism in even Sun God should drown drown themselves in the sea or live in a dark room for the rest of their lives.

On January 3, 2016, one day after the terror attack on an IAF base in Pathankot, Adityanath blamed the assault on Pakistan, claiming, “The Pathankot attack has once again proved that Satan could change for the better but Pakistan cannot

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