PROBIZ International - Vol-1 Probiz File final | Page 38

PERSONALITY
A new brigade of
the old guard
Yogi Adityanath has lead UP as the new assertive Chief Minister and expectations
are already high – even from within the BJP party, writes Vigyan Arya
I
t was a surprise that
surprised even the
BJP members and for
those outside the BJP
it was a shock when
Shri Yogi Adityanath
was announced as the
new Chief Minister of
UP; after a convincing
victory in the last
state assembly
elections.
Today, after ruling
the state with a firm
hand, those who
followed very closely
the contributions of
Yogi Adityanath, it was
a fitting reward and a
surprise card for BJP
to silence many and
respond to the many
questions that people
didn’t even dare to ask
– openly.
Politically speaking
he has a very strong
candidature – probably
the strongest amongst
the candidates that
media “masters” could
have ever imagined. He
has been the Member
of Parliament since
1998 from Gorakhpur
constituency. He is
also the head priest of
the Goraknath Math.
He also founded the
Hindu Yuva Vahini,
an extremist as well
as militant youth
organisation which
is known for being
38
August 2018
involved in communal
violence.
Yogi Adityanath was
born into a Garhwali
Rajput family as Ajay
Singh Bisht on 5 June
1972 in Uttarakhand
to Anand Singh Bisht.
His father was a forest
ranger. He obtained
his Bachelor’s Degree
in Mathematics
from Uttarakhand’s
Hemwati Nandan
Bahuguna Garhwal
University.
In 1990 he joined
Ayodhya Ram temple
movement. He
became the disciple
of the head priest
of Gorakhnath Math
Mahant Avaidyanath.
Subsequently, he
received the name ‘Yogi
Adityanath’ and also
succeeded Mahant
Avaidyanath.
Yogi Adityanath was
appointed as the head
priest of Gorakhnath
Math in 1994, and
that started his
journey in to national
politics. Four years
later he was elected
to the Lower House of
the Indian parliament
as the youngest
member in the 12th
Lok Sabha. For five
consecutive years, he
has been elected to
the Parliament from
Gorakhpur.
He started Hindu
Yuva Vahini, a youth
wing which is known
for violent activities
in eastern Uttar
Pradesh.
Hi relations with
BJP didn’t seem like
the obvious choice for
his political journey.
As a matter of fact,
initially Yogi Adityanath
did not have a smooth
relationship with
BJP. However, slowly
everything became
normal and he was
visited by many BJP
leaders in Gorakhpur.
He was one of the
BJP MPs in March
2010 who challenged
the party whip on the
Women’s Reservation
Bill in the Parliament.
Yogi Adityanath
was a prominent
BJP campaigner in
the 2017 assembly
elections of Uttar
Pradesh. In March
2017, after BJP
won the assembly
elections, he became
the Chief Minister of
Uttar Pradesh. After
he came to power, he
banned cow smuggling,
tobacco, pan and gutka
in government offices
of Uttar Pradesh and
formed anti-romeo
squads in the state.
Also the Uttar Pradesh
police suspended more
than 100 policemen.
Along with holding
the profile of Chief
Minister of the state,
he is taking care of
around 36 ministries
himself, including
Home, Housing,
Revenue, Food and
Civil Supplies, Food
Security and drug
administration,
stamp and registry,
Town and country
planning department,
Economics and
statistics, Mines and
Minerals, Flood control,
vigilance, prison,
general administration,
secretariat
administration,
personnel and
appointment,
information,
institutional finance,
planning, urban land,
estate department, UP
state reorganisation
committee,
administration
reforms, program
implementation, Relief
and Rehabilitation,
nation