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Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. (File pic/ANI)
Ahead of the Karnataka assembly polls, BJP leaders said that the party wants to encash the charisma of the UP chief minister, who has been its star campaigner for the last few years
It’s situated 1,400 kilometres away from Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, yet the issue of Atiq Ahmed’s killing is echoing in poll-bound Karnataka. Not only this. If political pundits and Bharatiya Janata Party insiders are to be believed, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s demand as a star campaigner has gone up manifold, especially after the killing of the mafia brothers, Atiq and Ashraf, by assailants on April 15 in police custody in Prayagraj.
People say what has added to the charisma of Yogi Adityanath is the viral video showing the verbal spat involving leader of opposition Akhilesh Yadav in the state assembly when the CM, while speaking on the Umesh Pal murder case, attempted to corner the Samajwadi Party, stating that “Mafia ko mitti mein mila denge (Will finish the mafias)” as he vows a zero-tolerance policy against gangsters and crime in UP.
Karnataka will have voting on May 10 and the results will be out on May 13. Ahead of the assembly polls, BJP leaders said that the party wants to encash the charisma of the UP chief minister, who has been its star campaigner for the last few years. With Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad Ahmed and his close aide Ghulam’s encounter, which was followed by the killing of Atiq and his brother Ashraf, the CM’s video featuring the “Mitti me mila denge” remark has gone viral on social media. He was hailed for fulfilling his promise of eliminating wanted criminals, which added credence to his star campaigner clout in Karnataka, especially in coastal Karnataka where Hindutva is reportedly a major issue.
“Killing of mafia brothers and prior encounter of Asad and his aide Ghulam could make Adityanath a big draw in coastal Karnataka where issues like the Popular Front of India (PFI) have been significant. It’s high time for the party to portray CM Adityanth’s example to drive home the point that the BJP doesn’t harbour criminals. The BJP has already given tickets to advocates, doctors, and retired IAS and IPS officers in Karnataka to win the people’s confidence,” a BJP stalwart said.
Bharatiya Janata Party insiders said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union home minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath are among the 40 star campaigners for the BJP for the Karnataka polls. Among them, the UP CM is likely to hold more than a dozen rallies.
The issue of Atiq first came under the spotlight in April when BJP leader Amit Malviya tweeted a 2.09-minute video of Rajya Sabha member Imran Pratapgarhi, a star campaigner for the Congress, in which he can be heard praising the gangster-turned-politician. The video also highlights that Atiq had visited Pratapgarhi’s residence for a feast in 2015.
“Imran Pratapgarhi, Rahul Gandhi’s handpicked member of Rajya Sabha and Congress’s star campaigner in Karnataka, is an apologist of don and now murdered criminal Atiq Ahmed,” Malviya tweeted.
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