: BJP sees the bulldozer as its ticket to a 2024 clean sweep in UP #IndiaNEWS #National <br>The bulldozer usually seen as a tool of destruction and upheaval has become a symbol of good governance

BJP sees the bulldozer as its ticket to a 2024 clean sweep in UP #IndiaNEWS #National
<br>The bulldozer usually seen as a tool of destruction and upheaval has become a symbol of good governance not only in Uttar Pradesh but outside the state too.
Most governments in the country, mainly the BJP-led ones, are now betting on the bulldozer that is apparently bringing in more bouquets than brickbats.
The bulldozer first gained prominence in the Yogi Adityanath government in July 2020 when this mean machine was used to pull down the house of gangster Vikas Dubey in Bikru village in Kanpur.
Dubey was the main accused in the massacre of eight police personnel and bulldozing his palatial house seemed like speedy justice in the terror-stricken area.
Muslim voices protesting Nupur Sharmas statement on the Prophet, then became the target of the bulldozer in Prayagraj and this gave a Hindu approval to the action.
Thereafter, the bulldozer was used to demolish the ill-gotten properties of mafia dons like Mukhtar Ansari and Atiq Ahmad, both of whom were behind bars.
The state government happily released photographs and videos of the houses, shopping complexes, hotels and buildings of the mafia crumbling under the power of the bulldozer.
A social activist says, All these recent bulldozer politics of the BJP government is nothing but to create a narrative that anything illegal is associated with Muslims and it is becoming an increasingly threatening gimmick. It is probably a warning message for those who rage against the government.
The bulldozer gradually emerged as a symbol of justice against wrong-doers and Yogi supporters, mainly Hindus, cheered the initiative.
In the midst of the assembly election, a local daily named Yogi Adityanath as Bulldozer Baba and this took the BJP campaign to the next level.
Leader after leader spoke about the might of the bulldozer in the elections and how Yogi Adityanath had brought criminals to their knees with his bulldozer.
The results of the UP assembly elections where the BJP staged a return to power, put the seal of approval on bulldozer politics and the opposition that had tried to project the bulldozer as a symbol of tyranny, was put on the backfoot.
The popularity of the bulldozer politics was evident from the fact that Holi sprinklers now come in the shape of a bulldozer and even the rakhi comes with a miniature bulldozer. A whole range of bulldozer toys are now being sold on e-commerce sites like Amazon and Flipkart.
Some young men in Agra have even tattooed the images of the bulldozer and Bulldozer Baba on their bodies after Yogi Adityanaths victory.
While the results made other states like Madhya Pradesh and Delhi adopt the bulldozer formula with open arms, it also gave Yogi Adityanath the opportunity to pursue this brand of politics even more aggressively in his second term.