Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav traded barbs on Wednesday in the wake of the Supreme Court’s strong observations on the ‘bulldozer actions’ by the governments in several states.
The top court on Monday remarked that a house cannot be demolished just because someone is accused, or even a convict.
Citing the court observation, Yadav asked if the UP government would now tender an apology for razing houses using bulldozers. "As far as the bulldozer is concerned, think what kind of bulldozer has been run by the court that now the bulldozer cannot run. Those who used to scare people with bulldozers, used to demolish people's houses at various places,” he said.
The former chief minister alleged that the government, because of its arrogance of power, deliberately runs the bulldozer to humiliate those it wanted to take revenge against.
On Tuesday, a day after the apex court made the crucial remarks, Yadav said he would send all bulldozers to Gorakhpur, the home district of Adityanath, after 2027 (elections).
The chief minister reacted sharply to the SP leader’s comments on Wednesday, saying not everyone has the heart and character to handle a bulldozer.
"Today these people have come back in a new form to mislead the public. Not everyone's hands can fit on a bulldozer. It requires both heart and mind. Only someone who has bulldozer-like capability and determination can operate it. Those who grovel before the rioters will not be able to stand in front of a bulldozer," he said.
"Now 'Tipu' is also trying to become a 'Sultan',” he further said, apparently making a pun on Yadav’s nickname.
The SP chief reacted with a sarcastic jibe later in the day, saying a bulldozer does not have a brain, but only has a steering. "Who knows when the people of Uttar Pradesh will change someone's steering or when the people of Delhi will change someone's steering," he said.
Bulldozer has become a political tool in Uttar Pradesh where the machine has been often used in the past few years to demolish “illegal” constructions and as an extrajudicial tool to punish those who face criminal cases. Several other BJP-ruled states like Madhya Pradesh have also followed the suit to carry out the ‘bulldozer justice’, drawing sharp criticism from human rights activists.
The apex court, while taking a serious note on the issue, remarked that such actions have to be streamlined and guidelines should be framed at the national level for conducting demolition exercises. The Court directed a senior advocate to collate suggestions and submit them to court.