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With his slogan ‘Batenge Toh Katenge’, backed by RSS and BJP top brass, UP CM Yogi Adityanath is in campaign mode in Jharkhand
UP CM Yogi Adityanath has also asserted himself by bringing the state’s own rule on selecting the DGP. (PTI)
The rumour mills had been working overtime over the fate of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath since the debacle in the state in the Lok Sabha elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had dropped to 36 seats in UP amid talk of internal tussle and the failure to quell the campaign over reservation by the opposition.
But in the last fortnight, four key meetings of the CM with the top brass of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), after his slogan ‘Batenge Toh Katenge’, show the CM is firmly back in control. He hit the campaign mode in Jharkhand on Tuesday and has already set the tone by linking the jailed Congress minister Alamgir Alam with ‘Aurangzeb’ and reiterating: “Yeh samay batne ka nahin hai (This is not the time to be divided).”
Yogi has also asserted himself by bringing the state’s own rule on selecting the DGP, bypassing the UPSC route. This comes ahead of the crucial nine assembly by-polls in UP on November 20, which could strengthen CM Yogi’s position if the BJP puts up a good show.
THE FOUR MEETINGS
The first of the four important meetings of the CM was with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in Mathura on October 22, on the eve of an important meeting of the RSS. Bhagwat gave Yogi an audience for over two hours. While what transpired at this meeting is not known, sources say it went well as RSS general secretary Dattareya Hosabale reiterated Yogi’s “batenge toh katenge” remark two days later, while stressing on Hindu unity. This slogan by Yogi during the Haryana elections had worked wonders for the BJP.
So much so that before the RSS, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also endorsed Yogi’s slogan. On November 3, the PM met Yogi at his residence in Delhi for over an hour, which was the first one-on-one meeting between the two leaders since the Lok Sabha results. Yogi though had been a part of the NDA conclave of CMs chaired by the PM in Chandigarh after the swearing-in of the Haryana CM last month.
ALSO READ | Opinion | How Adityanath’s Slogan Could Have Become A Clarion Call For Unity Among All Indians
The same day, Yogi significantly held long meetings in Delhi with home minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda. The Yogi camp said all three meetings were about the CM giving invitations for the Mahakumbh next year – however the importance and timing of these meetings suggest far more.
Interestingly, these four meetings came after he virtually met every MP and MLA of the BJP in UP one-on-one over the past four months. This has sent out a message of Yogi being cognisant of multiple opinions.
बंटिये मत…अपनी ताकत का अहसास कराएंगे तो यह जो पत्थरबाज हैं,
आपके लिए झाड़ू लगाकर रास्ता साफ करते हुए दिखाई देंगे… pic.twitter.com/cgLg0ads8I
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) November 5, 2024
YOGI: THE CAMPAIGNER
The Yogi camp says the UP CM is in high demand for the assembly elections in Jharkhand and Maharashtra. Yogi will on Tuesday begin his election tour, with his first stop in Jharkhand for three rallies in a day. The ‘Batenge Toh Katenge’ slogan will reverberate in Yogi’s campaign as the BJP aims for Hindu consolidation across Dalits, OBCs and tribals in both states.
At the Hazaribagh rally in Jharkhand, Yogi said: “Yeh samay batne ka nahin hai. The Congress is dividing the country since 1947.”
Yogi, during his campaign, is speaking on his record on security and action against the mafia, and bringing up the Ayodhya Ram temple as the BJP’s crowning achievement. He also said in Hazaribagh that “the Chinese army is now moving back and Indian army is going and doing patrolling there”, referring to the recent LAC agreement.
Most importantly, Yogi is re-asserting his position in the BJP’s top equations and showing that the party has no option but him when it comes to the 2027 UP battle.
