The Lok Sabha election is the defining factor for Indian democracy. There are multiple factors are underplay in the election, but model of Yogi Adityanath is one of the decisive factors. The obvious reason is being the largest state in terms of seats. Moreover, Uttar Pardesh is the engine of the democratic rail. The world needs to know the Yogi Model of governance. He set aside the allegations put against him. The cultural route of Indian foreign policy was showcased to the world in Ayodhya through ‘Pran Partishtha’ with meticulous maintaining peace and law and order. His model is turf in which every community could integrate and prosper without any fear.
The Muslims under the Yogi Adityanath government feel secure, when stepping out of the home at night and acknowledged crimes have come down significantly. Despite being bold and straightforward the Yogi government was blamed and shamed by media, especially international media. Why did it happen? Bulldozer culture, hate against Muslim and many other negative images were being painted. But the fact of the matter is absolutely different.
The Uttar Pradesh is targeting One Trillion Economy. The crime and development is interlinked. The economic development is directly linked to the law and order conditions. There are numerous examples in the world where economy was badly affected by organised crimes. This undermines the rule of law, erodes public trust in institutions, and creates barriers to fair competition and economic development. Naxalism has had a significant impact on law and order as well as economic development in several states of India.
There are many examples in the world. Many countries grapple with organised crime syndicates. Mexico, Italy, Russia, Columbia, Brazil and Afghanistan had seen these syndicates operating. The Mumbai underworld has had a significant impact on the economy of Maharashtra, particularly in Mumbai, the state’s capital and India’s financial hub.
Uttar Pradesh has been traditionally stereotyped as the “Crime Pradesh” of India and is notorious for rampant crimes, poor law & order, and criminal-politician nexus. Several Bollywood movies also reinforced this image, portraying UP as India’s “Wild West.” However, all these stereotypes gradually began to break after 2017 when the Bhartiya Janta Party government under Yogi Adityanath came to power. Today Uttar Pradesh has been hogging headlines as the favorite investment destination for multi-national companies rather than being in the news for some horrible crime episode.
This complete turn-around of UP is not an overnight miracle but results from a methodical and systemic approach taken by the Yogi Adityanath administration to tackle the humongous challenge of poor law and order in UP.
Lawlessness in Uttar Pradesh resulted from structural malaises, which have become part of UP’s political economy for decades. This includes phenomena of “Bahubalis” at the district level and their collusion with the administration at the local level, criminalization of politics, neglect of issues like crime against women, and lack of investment in the physical infrastructure of the policing system.
By adopting a “zero tolerance” policy against criminals, the Yogi Adityanath administration, since its inception, has shown the political will to eliminate the Mafia menace from UP. The intent is quickly followed by concrete steps against dreaded criminals, like fast-tracking cases at the district level, curbing criminals’ source of income by demolishing their illegal commercial structures, and a clear mandate to senior police officers to pursue criminals without fear or favor.
The “bulldozers” have been criticised as a symbol of administrative overreach, which played a pivotal role in improving law and order in UP. To tackle the “Bahubali phenomenon,” it was essential not only to fight them at the administrative level but also to demolish their aura of invincibility and larger-than-life image. Bulldozers do the twin job of not only hurting the dreaded criminals economically but also convincing the general masses that a strong government with a political will can tackle them effectively.
Another area where Yogi Adityanath administration has made its mark is ensuring women’s safety in public spaces. Unlike previous administrations, where even crimes like rape have been trivialised as “ladko ki galti,” the Yogi administration has made women’s security its top priority. A series of steps taken, like the establishment of the Power Mobile, Women’s Help Desk 1090, the appointment of Women Police Beat and Women Beat Police Officers, and the establishment of the Women Reporting Police Chowki Consultation Centre, were being taken in this direction. All these steps have now started showing results, as evidenced by the National Crime Record Bureau statistics. Uttar Pradesh has the highest conviction rate of 59.1% in the country in cases related to crime against women, as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, which is more than double the national average of 26.6%. As per NCRB data, in UP, punishments were awarded in 7,713 cases of crime against women, which is one-third of 22,874 instances of conviction nationwide.
Another critical area that witnessed sustained neglect in Uttar Pradesh was police modernization. Yogi Adityanath’s government, through a slew of steps, has improved the policing infrastructure dramatically. 1.59 lakh recruits have been added to UP Police through a fair and competitive recruitment process, unlike previous governments where paper leaks and favoritism were the norms during recruitment.
Along with traditional challenges, the Yogi government has set its sights on tackling emerging challenges like cyber crimes. As a breakthrough initiative, the Uttar Pradesh home department ordered a cyber help desk in all police stations and a cyber forensic lab at every zone level. Since women are more prone to cyber crimes like stalking, online bullying, etc, the Yogi government established women’s cybercrime cell in every regional cyber crime police station. By aligning policing with the prime minister’s vision of digital India, UP Police has also launched an App to track criminal cases across Uttar Pradesh.
Despite all these achievements, the Yogi government has a long way to go in realizing its dream of making Uttar Pradesh a “crime-free” state. Due to its large size, Uttar Pradesh has a long inter-state border along with an international border with Nepal, making UP vulnerable to criminals from other states and a crime transit hub. Yogi Model is talked about in and out the country. This model will have deep impact in result of the Lok Sabha Election.
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