How will the call for bulldozer justice bulldoze the chances of the BJP in the Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024? Five days after the Supreme Court ruled against the use of bulldozers for illegally demolishing homes and properties of persons accused of crime, the matter reverberated in the state that is going to polls on November 20. The issue got a significant dimension after UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath charged the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government in Jharkhand with looting the resources of the state.
Yogi Adityanath Glorifies ‘Bulldozer Justice’ In Jharkhand
The man who glorified the use of bulldozers declared in the poll-bound Jharkhand, “Isi dacoity se paisa nikalne ke liye bulldozer khada hain. Isi dacoity ke paise ko vapas lene ke liye (these bulldozers are parked here to retrieve the money looted in dacoities, to get back the money taken in these dacoities).”
Interestingly when the UP CM made this proclamation, he was cheered wildly by the crowd.
Yogi Adityanath Refers To Aurangzeb
The leader who has emerged as the mascot of aggressive Hindutva accused the JMM and its coalition partner Congress had looted the resources of the state along with the funds granted by the Narendra Modi-led union government.
The allegations are important in the wake of the Enforcement Directorate’s announcement that it recovered around Rs. 20 crore in “unaccounted cash” from the premises of the domestic help of the personal secretary to Jharkhand minister Alamgir Khan. Earlier, addressing an election campaign in Koderma, Yogi Adityanath had compared Alamgir Khan to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Yogi: Bulldozer To Retrieve Looted Money
Referring to last year’s ED raid, in which 320 crore was recovered from Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Sahu, Yogi Adityanath said that the “mountain of notes” recovered from Sahu and Khan were examples of how the JMM-Congress government had looted the state.
He said, “This money does not belong to the JMM or the Congress but to the people of Jharkhand.” More interestingly, he warned that the bulldozers would retrieve the money. A bulldozer was placed at the ground where the UP CM addressed.
Yogi Supporters Perched On Bulldozer
It was not the only place where the bulldozer was made an issue. At the rally in Rajmahal, the issue of bulldozer justice was raised. Taking to the social media site X, he shared a picture of the rally in Rajmahal showing his supporters perched on three bulldozers. Two of the bulldozers had supporters holding large saffron flags.
BJP CM Refuses To Change Attitude On Bulldozer
Refusing to change his attitude after the Supreme Court’s order, the UP CM gloated in Koderma that the impact demolitions through bulldozers had in his state UP ever since he assumed power. He said, “Before 2017, the mafia would walk around UP with the chests pumped. But after 2017, when bulldozers started being used, even the most dreaded mafia left the lands of UP.” He added further, “Today, some are in jail while others have embarked on a ‘ram naam satya hain’ yatra.”
In its judgment delivered on November 13, the apex court ruled that the executive cannot demolish the houses or properties of persons only on the ground that they are accused or convicted of a crime. It said that such action by the executive is contrary to the rule of law and also a violation of the principle of separation of powers.
