Omkar Dattatray
Though bulldozers were used by the Indian authorities much earlier but we hear about the use of bulldozers in the decade of 1970's and more appropriately during the unfortunate and undemocratic days of emergency in the infamous and much publicized Turkman gate demolition in New Delhi on the orders of late Sanjay Gandhi by the able administrator Late Jagmohan. However in the Indian politics in the modern days the bulldozers were put to use by the Utter Pradesh chief minister in the year 2017,september ,and presently the demolish ions by using the bulldozers are carried in UP on the orders of strong chief minister Yogi Adhytianath who is nicknamed as bulldozer baba for ordering to use the bulldozers against the land mafia and other anti nationals and anti social element. Bulldozers have come to stay in Indian politics and are occupying centre stage thanks to the efforts of the UP CM Yogi. Bulldozers are a part of a larger governance and political effort not in the state of UP only but in the different states of India. The bulldozers are used to improve law and order position in UP and other states of India. Its rhetoric usage by chief minister Yogi Adityanath of Bhartiya Janta Party started following the commencement of his first term in office from March 2017. By 2020 property belonging to numerous criminals including Vikas Dubey, and politician strongmen and gangsters Mukhtar, Atique Ahmed had been demolished using bulldozers. Yogi began his second term as chief minister in March 2022 and the bulldozers continued to be used to improve the governance and law and order position in UP .In the similar manner chief minister of Madhya Pradesh rode the bulldozer horse tamed by Yogi and began usage of the bulldozer in March 2022 against properties of mafia, accused rapists and rioters. Now by late April 2022bulldozers had also been used on the properties of rioters in Delhi and Gujarat, with politics and legal issues ensuing, including over anti –encroachment drives in Rajasthan .a congress state, but in a BJP held municipality .In Uttrakhand where there is also a BJP sarkar bulldozers were used against the criminals and anti social elements attacking Hanuman Jayanti processions. It is now the bulldozer rolling from one state to another and becoming a pan India political weapon and its usage as bulldozers are now being used in different states of the country and the even the non BJP chief ministers are using bulldozers against the criminals and land mafia and so has congress government of Rajasthan used the bulldozer to demolish the illegal properties. But unfortunately a three hundred year old Neelkanth Temple was demolished and it points to the misuse of the bulldozer. There is need to use bulldozers against the criminals, land mafia, rioters, rapists and other law violating goons. But there should be no misuse of the bulldozer and it should not be used as a vendetta and vengeance weapon against the political opponents and the misuse of the bulldozers should be guarded against and it should not be used against the political rivals. Moreover the bulldozers should not be used to score political points and dividends .Of late there is a feeling that the bulldozers are being used against the minorities and such feeling should not be nursed and it seems that this feeling is false and has no ground at all because if the bulldozer is used against any Muslim criminal and gangster, how it can be termed as the misuse of the bulldozer?. But there is great need not to misuse the weapon of bulldozing against the political opponents and against the innocent minorities. In Yogi government 2.0 the bulldozer of the baba is being used throughout the UP against land mafia, gangsters, criminals and rapists and the Yogi has declared that the war of bulldozer will continue against the anti nationals and anti social elements and against those who are involved in fomenting communal trouble. In UP assembly elections which had concluded Yogi Adityanath ‘s bulldozer has gives BJP mobility through tough UP elections. It all started with chief minister Yogi's mention of bulldozers in his campaign speeches and it resulted in election dividends. Gradually bulldozer became the poll mascot for BJP. Adityanath said that the police attached and demolished illegal property worth rupees 148 crore in the state and therefore the usage of the bulldozer is doing a wonderful job of penalizing the criminal, rioters, rowdy elements, rapists and so it is good to use the weapon of bulldozer to bring justice and maintain law and order not only in UP only but in the other states as well which are treading the path shown by Yogi. Unfortunately the congress renames yogi Adityanath as Bulldozernath for doing bulldozer politics. From Yogi to Jahangirpuri it is the rise of bulldozer Raj. The bulldozers are the new symbol of power not only in several BJP ruled states but other non BJP ruled states also ride on the tide of bulldozers to maintain law and order and to improve governance as well as to end mafia Raj. Thus bulldozers are used in MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttarakand ,Dehli and other states with success. One is at a loss to understand that why is the opposition uneasy over the use of bulldozers and what is its reason? Bulldozer is a machine which is these days used to maintain law and order and to demolish the illegal buildings of the land mafia ,criminals , gangsters, rioters, rapist, anti national and other anti social elements who are a threat to national security and communal harmony. Why is there uncertainty and grief in the opposition camp in MP ,UP ,Gujarat, Uttarakhnd ,Delhi ,Rajasthan and some other states .It is very disturbing and unfortunate that bulldozer is taken as a tool to be associated with the Hindu –Muslim angle and the bulldozer should not be associated with Hindu-Muslim issue and to say that bulldozer is used against the Muslim minorities. It is of no use to use the bulldozer against any religious community and against the religious places. It is disturbing that the bulldozer is sometimes used against the some religious community as in the congress ruled state of Rajasthan Ashok Gailot had used the bulldozer in demolishing the 300 year old Shiv temple and it should not have happened but the fact is that it has happened in the congress ruled state and the congress chief minister Ashok Gailot should explain why a historical temple was demolished by using the bulldozer?. All of us have heard about the bulldozer but it is now used to maintain law and order and for better governance not only in UP but in other states as well because a sense of security is being created by the use of bulldozer. Bulldozer is used to quell the appeasement politics which is the root cause of various ills in our multi-religious society. It is good to use the bulldozer to demolish illegal constructions and free the government land from the land mafia and the criminals and gangsters. The bulldozer has in fact become a political machine and weapon in the hands of the chief ministers who order its use against the land mafia, criminals, rapists, rowdy elements and anti national and anti social elements. After UP government ‘s bulldozer action, Madhya Pradesh government has also executed the same action against rioters, mafias of the state. The opposition is constantly blaming the government for the misuse of the bulldozer but why is the opposition stirred by the Shivraj's bulldozer formula. In fact the bulldozer has become a new weapon in the hands of the political executive to maintain law and order and to better the governance. But it should not be used as a tool for political vengeance and vendetta and if it is used as such then there is no use of it and the bulldozer should not be used then. The president of AIMIM Assud –UD-Din Owasi and the BSP chief Mayawati has levelled allegations that the bulldozers are used against the Muslims but there seems no truth in these allegations because the bulldozers do not see the religion of those whose illegal properties are demolished. To conclude the write up it can be said that the bulldozer should not be used to create hate and hatred but to ensure justice in the society and polity so the bulldozer should be cautiously used and it should be ensured that the bulldozers should not be used to browbeat the political opponents.
The author is a columnist and social activist
