Lucknow: For Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, his joy over the praise by the National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval over the handling of the law and order situation in the state in the aftermath of the Ayodhya verdict in November may be short-lived, as he faces a tough challenge on the streets and within his party.
While the state police failed to prevent large-scale arson and stone-throwing in Lucknow and a couple of other cities as part of the protest against the amended Citizenship Act (CAA) on Thursday, the government and the state BJP leadership is in a quandary over the unprecedented protest by a few party legislators within the state Assembly and outside over their own problems.
In fact the protests over the CAA had erupted in Lucknow on Monday itself when students of the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulema staged a march at the institution gate, and were lathi-charged by police.
The photographs of this protest had in fact made the front page of major US papers like Wall Street Journal and New York Times, widely shared on social media. The chief minister had issued a tough warning to trouble-makers on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s planned protest, and the state’s Director General of Police OP Singh had claimed that the situation would remain under control with heavy deployment and traffic restrictions.
The government had imposed Section 144 in the entire state in view of the protests. However, the state capital witnessed large-scale stone-throwing and arson in which police and private vehicles and motor-cycles were torched by protestors.
The main protest rally in one part of the city was thwarted with pre-emptive arrests of leaders of Samajwadi Party, but violent protests erupted in areas like Aminabad, Khadra, Hasanganj and Husainabad areas. These are areas in the old city where the dominant population is of the minority community. Arson and stone-pelting also took place in Parivartan Chowk, very close to the Hazratganj area where the Assembly building, state Secretariat and other government institutions are located.
The protestors set afire vehicles parked outside the Hasanganj police station in a congested lane. The police station building was also vandalised by the agitators. By evening, dozens were arrested and scores injured, including policemen, in the incidents. Even though the incidents exposed police failure, the DGP maintained that there was no lapse on their part.
MLA’s agony
Thursday’s incidents came close to the unprecedented show of defiance and protest by BJP MLAs in the state Assembly on Tuesday. On that day, Nand Kishore Gurjar, a BJP MLA from Loni assembly seat in Ghaziabad, had tried to speak out of turn against alleged police atrocities on him. The Assembly Speaker H N Dikshit blocked his attempt to speak, after which BJP and opposition MLAs rose to support Gurjar. BJP MLAs backed by those in the opposition sat on an unprecedented dharna inside the Uttar Pradesh assembly According to reports, slogans favouring MLAs’ unity were raised in the well of the House. It took four hours and the intervention of senior ministers and the speaker himself to end the situation.
Incidentally, Gurjar faces criminal cases and some days ago the state BJP had issued a notice to him after he allegedly assaulted a food inspector in Ghaziabad for refusing to shut down a hotel that served meat. A police case was filed against him over the matter. In his defence, Gurjar had said that he was trying to expose the food inspector for misbehaving with him and that the local police chief refused to listen to him.
The chief minister later called Gurjar for a meeting on Tuesday night and assured him of action in the case. But on Wednesday, another party MLA had posted a comment on social media suggesting that MLAs should form a “union” like government employees. MLA Shyam Prakash from Hardoi, said that “MLA has become the weakest link in today’s politics,” and said that while “all department officers and employees, farmers, businessmen, all have representative organisations. So shouldn't legislators also make unions to protect their existence and rights?”
The issue may have been brushed under the carpet and overshadowed by the protests against CAA, but the discontent is unlikely to subside with many legislators admitting in private that they felt quite “powerless” when ignored by officials and police officers in districts.
Praise by Doval
It was on November 28 the NSA Ajit Doval had written to the state’s chief secretary, praising the Yogi Adityanath government’s handling of the law and order situation in UP during and after the November 9 Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya dispute. Doval had said in his letter that “I compliment you for your commendable efforts in handling the situation in the state following the Ayodhya verdict. I appreciate your role in maintaining synergy with all organs of the state and central government and ensuring coordination with police for maintaining peace and communal harmony.”
However, the failure to prevent large-scale violence and arson in the aftermath of anti-CAA protests has exposed the weakness of the intelligence and police, especially in the state capital. The violent protests and the legislators’ discontent are likely to be considered by the BJP leadership in days to come as a test of Yogi’s leadership.
