Adityanath 2.0 to navigate farm, infra projects before 2024 polls

New expressways to put UP on fast track of progress

Ahead of the high-stakes Uttar Pradesh (UP) Assembly polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had confabulated with prominent Jat leaders in the last week of January to woo the influential Western UP community amid purported anger over central farm laws.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was jittery over the prospects of the protracted farm protests casting its shadow on the outcome of the UP polls. The gamble paid off handsomely, with the saffron party managing to win a comfortable majority in the country’s most populous state comprising 403 Assembly segments.

While the party asserted it had coasted to victory by riding the pro-incumbency wave, the UP results amply showed that the Opposition narrative weaved around plausible farm anger was amplified beyond proportion.

However, the BJP, during the course of the seven-phase UP elections in February-March, had also realised an undercurrent of farmer anguish over the stray cattle menace, apart from concurrent agricultural issues, such as sugarcane arrears, agricultural marketing, etc.

It was for this reason that Prime Minister (PM) and BJP’s biggest mascot Narendra Modi had to overtly reach out to farmers by promising, in his election rallies, that the party would find a permanent and sustainable solution to the stray cattle menace after returning to power in UP.

With Adityanath expected to take oath of office on March 25, Yogi Adityanath 2.0 is bracing up to further sweeten the farm agenda to keep the community in good humour before the bugle is sounded for the 2024 Lok Sabha (LS) polls.

Requesting anonymity, a first-time BJP legislator said the new government will take forward the plank of serving the interests of farmers, so that a positive turnaround in the rural economy gains further traction.

In its prepoll election manifesto, the BJP has already promised to provide free power to farmers for irrigation, and to expand the minimum support price basket for major vegetable crops, such as potato, tomato, onion, etc.

Additionally, the saffron party had announced an investment of Rs 25,000 crore in setting up a robust network of cold chain and warehouses for grading of horticultural crops, so that farmers get remunerative prices.

Since sugarcane encompasses an annual economy of nearly Rs 50,000 crore in UP, the BJP had promised to roll out a composite Rs 5,000 crore modernisation scheme for state sugar mills that currently number around 120.

Besides, the government will ensure cane arrears are settled within a fortnight, lest they are subject to pay interest thereon. The sugarcane belt in Western UP is politically more sensitive and assertive, compared to other state regions.

Amid rising petroleum prices, the state government is expected to leverage the ethanol blending segment to provide an additional revenue stream to small and marginal farmers, as well as curb environmental pollution.

Economists feel that owing to the spectacular victory in the UP Assembly elections, the expectations from Aditya­nath in his second innings as chief minister are much higher.

“For all-round development and promoting investment activities, the Adityanath government has wisely launched ambitious infrastructure (infra) projects like expressways, Metro rails, airports, etc. Many of them, like the Purvanchal Expressway, are already operational, while others are in various stages of completion. The massive capital expenditure in these infra projects will have a large multiplier effect on the economy,” observed economist and political commentator Yashvir Tyagi.

He said although the farm agitation had “negligible impact” on the outcome of the UP Assembly elections, the challenge to assuage the hurt feelings of farmers and mitigating rural distress remains intact, and needs course correction in Adityanath 2.0.

Moreover, the overarching theme of doubling farm income as articulated zealously by the Modi-Adityanath combine is another challenge for the saffron party before the crucial 2024 LS polls.

At the same time, the flagship infra projects, including expressways, airports, and tourism, will receive further momentum to keep the BJP’s self-acclaimed socioeconomic development road map gaining mileage.

While the Rs 23,000-crore Purvanchal Expressway has already been commissioned during the first stint of the Yogi Adityanath government, two other projects, viz., Bundelkhand Expressway and Gorakhpur Link Expressway, are fast nearing completion.

According to UP Additional Chief Secretary (Home Department) and UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority Chief Executive Officer Awanish Kumar Awasthi, the Bundelkhand Expressway will be completed in another three months, while the Gorakhpur Link Expressway will be ready in 18 months.

Interestingly, the PM has on earlier occasions referred to UP as “Express Pradesh” and waxed eloquent on the speedy pace of infra, especially expressway projects, in UP under the Adityanath government.

Meanwhile, the ongoing airport projects in Jewar (Gautam Buddh Nagar district) and Ayodhya will also gain momentum due to the continuity of the government in power. Similarly, tourism projects in Ayodhya, Agra, Mathura, Varanasi, and the Buddhist Circuit will be accorded priority to keep date with the next LS elections.