Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addresses a public meeting for Lok Sabha elections
Credit: PTI Photo
Lucknow: One usually expects a fleet of cars at the roadshows conducted by the politicians during the elections. But a fleet of bulldozers were seen during the roadshow conducted by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in the Samajwadi Party (SP) bastion of Mainpuri on Thursday.
As Adityanath, atop a specially designed truck, followed by his vehicles having his security personnel, moved through the narrow lanes of the town, the BJP workers atop scores of bulldozers showered flower petals on him.
The saffron party had brought in 14 bulldozers for the chief minister's roadshow in the constituency from where SP president Akhilesh Yadav's wife and sitting MP Dimple Yadav was in the fray. She faces UP minister Thakur Jaiveer Singh and BSP's Shiv Kumar Yadav.
''The bulldozers were made part of the roadshow to convey the message that the Adityanath government had come down heavily upon the mafia and goonda elements,'' said a local BJP leader in Mainpuri.
Adityanath was also dubbed as ''Bulldozer Baba'' owing to the frequent use of the bulldozers to demolish the houses of the alleged mafias and criminals.
BJP leaders here said that "improvement" in the law and order situation and strict action against the criminals formed an important part of the party's election plank and the bulldozers were meant to show that to the people.
Indiscriminate use of bulldozers to demolish the houses of the alleged criminals by the state government had also invited sharp criticism from the opposition parties as well as the human rights activists and social organisations.
Addressing the people on this occasion, Adityanath accused the SP-Congress alliance of trying to "break" the country and "push" the nation toward "slavery".
''Mainpuri will witness a change this time,'' he said in his address.
He said that the I.N.D.I.A alliance was "anti-Hindu" and that it had no "respect" for Lord Rama and Krishna. ''This alliance only believes in appeasement politics,'', he said, reiterating his party's allegation that the opposition intended to eat into the OBC reservation by giving reservation to the Muslims.
In an apparent bid to wrest the seat, which was considered to be an SP bastio, the BJP had brought in Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to campaign and woo the electorally influential 'Yadav' community, which had a large presence in Mainpuri.
The BSP has fielded Shiv Kumar Yadav from Mainpuri.