BJP MLA courts controversy by saying 'Bulldozers will now move fast'
Lucknow: The Bharatiya Janata Party returned to power in India’s most populous state by winning 255 seats. The BJP, which is set to rule the state, has been embroiled in a controversy after a BJP MLA and the former minister said in the state, "Bulldozers will run faster now." He allegedly referred to this for not receiving support from the Muslim community.
Baldev Singh Aulakh was the MLA who made this controversial statement at one of the victory rallies of the BJP in the state recently. Aulakh, who won against a Samajwadi Party candidate with a narrow margin, hit out at the Muslim community, which he contended that the bulldozers would move swiftly now since they did not back the BJP.
The MLA said that his party wanted their support but they did not back the party. He said that the large section of the Muslim community availed all the benefits of the programmes initiated by Yogi Adityanath’s government, including free rations, free medical treatment, houses, and others, but these people tried their best to defeat the saffron party. "Now we’ll have to think about them," he was quoted as saying to a news media outlet.
During the recent elections, Yogi Adityanath was dubbed "bulldozer baba" due to numerous references to his administration using bulldozers to demolish the ill-gotten assets of the state's criminals and mafias. The nickname immediately became popular, being used by the party during election rallies and even as tattoos by supporters following the party's triumph.
Overaggressive BJP workers in UP's Badaun district even crushed a row of bicycles with a bulldozer to celebrate their party's win. The bicycle, by the way, is the Samajwadi Party's election symbol. A video of the revelry has now gone viral on social media.
According to reports, the newly elected UP government will take the oath of office after Holi. On Sunday, Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, paid a visit to Delhi, meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda. Adityanath submitted his resignation to Governor Anandiben Patel at the Raj Bhavan in Lucknow on Friday. Following the one and a half-hour discussion, PM Modi stated that he met with Adityanath and congratulated him on his historic victory in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.