Lucknow: Sparking yet another controversy around bulldozers, Dinesh Rawat, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Haidergarh constituency in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki district, Saturday warned leaders of the local party unit that if they oppose the BJP candidate in the upcoming municipal polls after being refused a ticket, “bulldozers will start rolling”.
A notification for the municipal polls is expected after 15 December.
Rawat was speaking at a meeting of the local BJP unit in Subeha nagar panchayat where Barabanki district president Shashank Kushmesh was also present. A video of the comments went viral on social media Monday.
Rawat had said that it was “better to say things clearly” and that “they don’t have to fight as an Independent”.
“First of all, you don’t have to fight as an Independent… (if you are) with BJP…. If you want to fight as an Independent, then don’t seek a ticket from the BJP. Don’t ask (for a ticket). We won’t go to stop you (from fighting elections). If you ask for a ticket and then oppose our candidate, our bulldozer will roll,” said Rawat, whose comments were followed by tepid applause and then silence.
While there was no open criticism of the MLA’s statement, it hasn’t gone down well with party workers and the MLA has been apprised of the fact that his comments might have been “demoralising”, said insiders.
Speaking to ThePrint, a party leader from the Barabanki BJP unit said, “He has been told that in a democracy, all party workers are entitled to seek candidature for a post. Workers have been working hard for years and now when elections are approaching, it is natural that they will seek candidature. Such comments demoralise party workers and the MLA has been informed of it,” he said.
ThePrint reached Rawat via calls and messages, but had not received a response at the time of publishing this report. The article will be updated once a response is received.
The bulldozer has become a symbol of the governance model of CM Yogi Adityanath-led government. It first started being used during first Yogi regime and during his second term, the state government has claimed that they use it against mafias, criminals, riot accused, rape accused and on buildings that have come up illegally.
It has had its share of controversies as some observers identify it as the government’s tool against the minority community too.
The BJP MLA’s threat to his own party leaders attracted criticism from Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party president and the leader of opposition in the Uttar Pradesh assembly, who took a dig at the BJP in his poetic style.
Yadav Monday posted a snapshot of a news report on Twitter about the BJP MLA’s comments and wrote that the “world is aware of their (BJP’s) intentions, but their workers are helpless because they are getting a salary.”
सारे जहां को मालूम है उनके हुक्म की मंशा
नौकर मजबूर हैं क्योंकि मिलती है तनख़्वाह pic.twitter.com/yO4GNLMoPp
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) December 12, 2022
The meeting Saturday was attended by district president Kushmesh and other leaders of the local BJP unit along with several probable candidates for the posts of chairman and ward members of Subeha nagar panchayat, said sources.
The nagar panchayat — which was recently expanded to cover a total of 14 wards, up from 11 till October this year — has not seen a BJP candidate win in the past three municipal elections. The meeting was held to discuss how to go about ensuring a win this time.
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