In Uttar Pradesh, the Chief Minister’s Office presents Yogi Adityanath more as a ‘Maharaj’ i.e. Peethadhishwar Mahant of Goraksha Peeth than as an elected CM. He is addressed as such in every government release or social media post. He has also been projected in politics as the face of a larger Hindutva but his rule has been marked by caste disputes, both inside and outside the BJP. The latest case is from Lakhimpur Kheri, where a BJP MLA was beaten up and the poor man kept wandering to file a case with the police. Now this case of beating has turned into a caste dispute. This dispute is taking the form of Thakur versus Kurmi.
Actually, there was an election for the executive of a co-operative bank in Lakhimpur Kheri, which was held by Awadhesh Singh of the Chief Minister’s caste. Awadhesh Singh is also the head of the District Advocates Association. They wanted that elections should not arise but Kurmi caste MLA Yogash Verma was interfering in this matter. So, Awadhesh Singh and his men beat up the MLA, the video of which is viral on social media. Now on one side Kurmi and Patel organizations are opening a front while on the other side Kshatriya organizations are calling a Mahapanchayat.
It is generally said in Uttar Pradesh that the police do not file cases against the caste of the Chief Minister. Controversy is also going on everywhere regarding the appointment of Thakur officers to important posts. Recently, when a famous journalist made a story of Thakur Raj vs Yadav Raj regarding this, Uttar Pradesh Police filed a case against him. In the FIR that was registered, Yogi Adityanath was described as an incarnation of God and asked how can a person make such allegations against him. Later, the Supreme Court gave relief to the journalist from any kind of action and reprimanded the police and said that how can a case be registered against anyone for showing or publishing the news.