Two years after Yogi Adityanath became Uttar Pradesh chief minister, the state continues to lag in employment generation, stray cattle have annoyed farmers, roads remain riddled with potholes and questions about the many police encounters that happened soon after his ascension have become louder. The bright spot of his rule, so far, has been the glitch-free organisation of the Kumbh Mela.
With the Lok Sabha elections entering the final phase, there are whispers that his once safe seat of Gorakhpur is shaky, which explains the inordinate time he has spent here campaigning for the BJP candidate, Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan. The BJP’s showing in the 80 seats will be key in deciding the future of the controversial leader. Excerpts from an interview:
How do you place the BJP after six phases of polling?
Our calculations remain the same as they were before the election. The BJP will win 74 plus seats in Uttar Pradesh. In the country, the BJP on its own will win 300 seats and 400 plus with its allies.
Are you looking at new allies?
The existing members of the National Democratic Alliance will get these numbers.
How do you look at the BSP-SP alliance?
The public perception about the Samajwadi Party is that whenever it is in power in the state, there is largescale lawlessness and goondagardi (hooliganism). Whenever the BSP has been in power, it has only given rise to corruption, disorder and unpleasantness. Today, the BSP-SP combine is most worried about the fact that the BJP has taken away its core vote bank. The largest benefits of schemes have gone to (their core voter). Those who do the politics of caste and nepotism are failing.
Do you see a role for the Congress in the state, especially after the entry of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra?
Denne historien er fra May 26, 2019-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 26, 2019-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
