The Monk Who Sold his Conscience

Yogi Adityanath dons the attire of a monk, but far from being an acetic, he is driven by worldly matters. His brand of politics has destroyed the state of Uttar Pradesh which has now descended into a lawless anarchy. Yogi had opposed the women’s reservation bill in the Parliament when it was introduced by the Congress party during the UPA rule, which sums up his misogynist attitude. It’s no wonder that under him Uttar Pradesh records the highest crimes against women in India.

Almost every day there are reports of unimaginable crimes from the state and the perpetrators often backed by members of the ruling BJP. From Swami Chinmayanand to Kuldeep Sengar, those accused of the most heinous crimes against women have found space next to the Yogi Adityanath. Often posters of such people along with the Chief Minister are pasted in towns to intimidate people. As such, criminals have no fear of the law and commit crimes with impunity as they did in Ghaziabad on Monday when they shot a local journalist Vikram Joshi.

Joshi had intervened when a few men were harassing his niece and had filed a police complaint. The miscreants then retaliated by shooting him on July 20^th, near his house. Sadly, Vikram Joshi lost his life earlier today. In another heart wrenching incident that shocked the nation, a mother (Safia) and daughter (Gudiya) attempted self-immolation opposite the Chief Minister’s office on 17^th July seeking justice. The women were protesting abject government apathy and harassment by local administration. With none listening to their plight they set themselves ablaze in the hope that they would be finally heard. Safia too succumbed to her injuries today, even as Gudiya continues to battle for her life.

Amidst the pleas for help and cries for justice, the shrill silence of the media in calling out the Yogi maladministration can be heard the loudest. Several journalists who argued that Yogi must be ‘given a chance’ have now gone completely silent. There is nary a debate on the horrid state of law and order in Uttar Pradesh. What’s worse is that some sections of the media still make efforts to airbrush Yogi’s image which suffers an indelible blemish. If conditions were to be even a fraction of what it is UP in non-BJP states, there would have been calls for president’s rule.

With the fourth estate surrendering completely to the BJP, the only hope is for people to resist this tyranny by questioning the government. The largest state in India cannot be allowed to become the fiefdom of criminals backed by local leaders. The unholy nexus between criminals, the administration and the leaders must be questioned and severed.

If we do not question the government, we would be failing our fundamental duties as Indian citizens and jeopardizing India’s future. Another incident reported from Kanpur yesterday, where a BJP leader kidnapped an astrologer from Madhya Pradesh and demanded a ransom of ₹1 crore metaphorically sums up the future of India under the BJP. If we don’t question and stop the BJP, we would be culpable in destroying India’s future. The peace, progress and prosperity of India is all in our ‘hand!’