Finally, Ashish Mishra, the main accused in the Lakhimpur farmers’ murder is in custody. The note of caution here is that it happened only after the Supreme Court pulled up the investigating agencies and not due to any political messaging by the government, either in the state or at the centre. Yes, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath did say that “there will be no injustice to anyone. No one will be allowed to take the law in his own hands but there will also be no action taken under pressure”. One assumes the pressure that the UP CM was referring to was the outrage on social media and the active stand taken by the Opposition.
It is not just the four farmers who were killed when a ministerial cavalcade of the Union Minister for Home, Ajay Mishra Teni, mowed a peaceful protest from behind at Lakhimpur Kheri. The chilling videos are there for all to see. It is alleged that the first car leading the cavalcade, a green Mahindra Thar jeep was driven by Ashish Mishra the son of the honourable minister who is now being referred to in social media as `mantri-putra’ to highlight the fact that he has a powerful lineage backing him. If you recall that this incident happened the same day when another son of a famous Bollywood star was caught in a drug bust; and while one son was immediately taken into custody the other remained free until the courts took note of the matter.
Can anyone explain the BJP’s reaction, or lack of it? One explanation given to me is that the farmers never vote as a cohesive vote block, let alone nationwide, even the farmers of East UP will not vote along the same lines as those of Western Uttar Pradesh. Moreover, the BJP needs to woo the Brahmin vote bank that has been feeling marginalised ever since Yogi Adityanath became CM. There is a perception in the state that he is pandering to the Thakurs. Caste is an important factor in Uttar Pradesh, so much so that even the killing of a Brahmin mafia don recently was seen along caste lines. Where the farmers’ vote will matter is Punjab and that is where the BJP doesn’t really have much of a stake.
The other reason is that the BJP was keen to prop up the Congress in Uttar Pradesh so that it could take away Akhilesh Yadav’s votes by cutting into the anti-BJP vote. Until now, few gave Congress any chance in the coming Uttar Pradesh polls; there was a perception that even the AAP could do better than the Congress. Post Lakhimpur Kheri Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been able to create some sort of a buzz around her party. It is definitely not enough to swing a state, but in western Uttar Pradesh it could divide the Jat vote. As it is there is an apprehension amongst the SP that with an alliance with the RLD could lose them the Muslim vote. Which could be one reason why Akhilesh did not immediately rush to the spot, letting Jayant Chaudhary be the first man on the ground.
It is cold to look at a human tragedy in such calculated political terms. But there is no other way to explain some of the actions and reactions by our political class, especially when the crucial Uttar Pradesh election is around the corner.