Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held the highest position of power at the Centre, the post of Prime Minister, since 2014. And since Narendra Modi’s tenure as Prime Minister, Amit Shah has also held the number two position at the centre of power. In 2014, while he was not part of the government as the BJP’s national president, he was still a powerful figure due to his proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his role as the BJP’s national president. After relinquishing the BJP’s national presidentship, he continues to hold the second-most powerful position as Union Home Minister. The Modi-Shah duo has achieved significant success not only at the Centre but also in the states. Currently, the BJP or the NDA, led by their party, is in power in most states and union territories. Having tasted the power of power for so long, this duo has become addicted to it. This duo is constantly employing some trick or the other to keep the power of the government firmly in their hands. In this effort, they neither consider their traditional upper caste voters nor Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. They now seek to keep both of them as their followers.
The recent UGC rule regarding the upper castes and several other activities indicate that even if the Modi-Shah duo are not directly involved, those behind it certainly have their support.
The new UGC rule, designed to harass upper castes, was not created by the UGC on its own. Rather, it was passed by a special committee of Parliament. Therefore, it is impossible that Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Amit Shah would not have noticed it. In fact, they must have wondered where the upper castes would go if they were upset by this new UGC rule. They would be forced to vote for the BJP after losing, or even if the upper castes left, would the OBCs replace them as an even larger vote bank? Then, on this pretext, even if they won the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections in 2027, they would remove Yogi Adityanath, who belongs to the upper caste, from the top position of power, despite his abilities, claiming that the upcoming Uttar Pradesh victory was not due to him but due to this UGC rule of the central government. In any case, during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, news of the conflict between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath began to appear prominently in the media. At that time, Yogi Adityanath introduced the bulldozer model of law and justice in Uttar Pradesh and, by promoting development programs, successfully won the elections in Uttar Pradesh and ascended to the top position of power.
Now, this pair is in a predicament over the UGC bill, something they never imagined. The upper castes, who had accepted their fate by submitting to their defeat and remaining with the BJP, have now sealed their own fate.
As soon as the new UGC rule was implemented, upper castes began protesting fiercely everywhere. Particularly in Uttar Pradesh, where assembly elections are scheduled for next year, their protests were particularly intense. Several high-level officials even resigned from their posts. This was akin to the way people sacrificed their government jobs during India’s freedom struggle for the country’s independence. Within the bounds of the Constitution, upper castes raised their voices against this unjust UGC law, from the streets to the Supreme Court. As a result, the Supreme Court not only suspended this unjust UGC law but also, calling it a regressive step, directed the central government to file an affidavit by March 19th, insisting that the previous UGC law of 2012 remain in force during this period.
Now, this issue is not a double-edged sword for this pair, but a multi-edged sword. If the required affidavit is not filed, this pair must be well aware of the stance the upper castes will take against the BJP. Because at one time, the upper castes expressed their anger against the BJP due to its reversal of the Supreme Court’s decision on the SC/ST Act, which led to the toppling of the BJP’s government in at least two states: Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The anger of the upper castes did not subside until the central government introduced the EWS reservation policy.
And if this duo expresses views in favour of the upper castes in its affidavit at the Centre, then the OBCs, whom it had empowered by making them Bhasmasur, will now be ready to destroy it.
Third, if this duo expresses its support for the new UGC bill, the regressive steps taken by the Supreme Court will leave them in a fix. This will also engulf the long-standing reservation issue, and many of the populist promises they make during elections will be called into question. Furthermore, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is also sharpening his weapons. Along with improving the law and justice system in Uttar Pradesh, he is also trying to prove himself superior on all development parameters. He is traveling abroad and inviting industrialists to make the public believe that he can deliver on the ground, delivering more than just promises. And then, if the BJP wins the upcoming elections, perhaps this duo will not be able to prevent Yogi Adityanath from occupying the pinnacle of power, at least on the basis of his golden age.
Even after the Supreme Court put a stay on the new UGC rule, the incidents hurting upper castes continued unabated. In Uttar Pradesh, a film titled “Bribery Pandit” became the subject of discussion. You can easily understand who the chairman and members of the Central Film Censor Board are, so I won’t mention them. But just imagine, if those who don’t know the meaning of the word “Pandit” give films such disastrous titles, who is behind this?
Another case has recently surfaced in Uttar Pradesh. This case relates to the recruitment of Sub-Inspectors of Police in Uttar Pradesh. A question was asked in this examination: what is the name of a word that often changes over time? The answer options for the question included, among them, “opportunist,” “virtuous,” and a few others. What the provision of such an option indicates, and who is orchestrating it, remains to be understood. At least Yogi Adityanath is not involved in this, as he has made it clear that his bulldozer will be used against anyone who commits such an act.
Now everything is focused on the affidavit to be filed by the Central Government in the Supreme Court on March 19th. Let me also tell you that in our country, since the inception of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Indian Penal Code, there have been rules everywhere that ensure that no one can discriminate against another based on a particular caste group. And if they do, every caste group, even if they are not upper caste, is protected from this. In the IPC, this was under Rule 153A, while in the Indian Penal Code it is under Rule 196. In such a situation, the new UGC rule, which left the gold medals to be harassed, is not possible to be implemented in the presence of the right to equality in the Constitution and Section 196 of the BNS in the law.