Journalism of Courage
When the head of a prominent math in Ayodhya told a gathering in Gorakhpur Sunday he was confident that the Ram temple would be built now that Yogi Adityanath had become Chief Minister, the latter chose not to respond. Hours later, Adityanath put his own party on notice, telling BJP office-bearers and workers not to undertake any thekedari (contract work), and that they will have no time for “mauj masti” (entertainment). Hinting at a law-and-order upgrade, he said “goondas” and their “patrons” will have to quit Uttar Pradesh or go to jail. He said the BJP’s unprecedented win in the Assembly elections had only increased the responsibilities of the party and its workers.
Addressing a gathering at the Gorakhnath temple, Mahant Suresh Das of the Digambar Akhara in Ayodhya said that with the swearing-in of Adityanath as Chief Minister, he was sure that Ram Janmabhoomi would be developed. “Ram Janmabhoomi ka nirman hi Uttar Pradesh ka vikas hai,” Suresh Das said in the presence of Adityanath, a remark that drew applause and cheers. Das said he welcomed the Supreme Court observation suggesting a discussion between parties to the Ayodhya dispute to resolve the issue. “But we have a condition. Only the Ram temple can be built at the Ram Janmabhoomi, no mosque will be built there,” he said. Claiming that the ruling party at the Centre will have a majority in Rajya Sabha in 2018, Das said that with the “government of Maharaj ji” (Adityanath) in UP, the Ram temple can be built by bringing in a law.
When it was his turn to speak, Adityanath did not mention the Ram temple or the Ayodhya issue. He narrated instead a story about Tulsidas and the representative of Emperor Akbar who came with an invitation. The representative, he said, told Tulsidas that the Raja of Delhi had invited him. At this, Tulsidas said he knew of only one Raja — Ram. Adityanath said Tulsidas never accepted Akbar as king and he had also given the slogan ‘Ramchandra ki jai’. Adityanath said he was fortunate to get an opportunity to serve 22 crore people of Uttar Pradesh. He said his government would work for the promotion of different regional languages like Awadhi, Sindhi, Bundelkhandi etc through the Hindustani Academy.
He said foreign invaders had attacked the Gorakhnath peeth, its properties and attempted to loot it but Yogiraj Baba Gambhirnath had restored the glory of the peeth. Later, addressing BJP MPs, MLAs and party office-bearers of Gorakhpur region, Adityanath told them not to try and take up thekedari of government works and not to interfere in contract-related works. “No office-bearer of the party or any public representative should undertake any thekedari. They should rather monitor them. And, if they find any discrepancy, they can inform me, so that action can be taken immediately against the guilty,” he said.
“The people of the state have reposed their faith in us, and the onus is on us to meet their expectations, while ensuring accountability of our actions.” He said they must prepare for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. “In the next two years, you have to work tirelessly, irrespective of the fact that there is sunshine, rain or biting cold. Efforts should be made to ensure that the welfare schemes of the Centre percolate to the last strata of the society, and needy people are able to avail their benefits,” he said.
“Time has come that we work 18-20 hours a day. There no time for any mauj masti,” he said. “For the past few years, Uttar Pradesh has been defined as a state from whose boundaries begins darkness, from where pot-holed roads begin and the place from where women start to feel insecure. I want to break this mindset,” he said. “There is no place for those who give patronage to goonda elements, mafia, criminal and other rogue elements. They have the option of leaving UP or else they will land in places designated for them (jails),” he added.
Meat sellers’ strike expands
Representatives of meat sellers’ associations in UP Sunday said they had asked sellers in all districts to close their establishments in protest against the government’s “arbitrary” crackdown on slaughterhouses and meat shops without valid licences. The president of Meat-Murga Vyapari Kalyan Samiti, said: “We are asking meat sellers in all districts to close shops. We are also asking meat sellers in other states to join the agitation.”
(With PTI and Express News Service inputs)
