Yogi Adityanath is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. He is the Mahant (chief priest) of Gorakhnath Math, a Hindu temple in Gorakhpur. He is the founder of the organization Hindu Yuva Vahini; A youth organization that has been in controversy due to its involvement in communal violence. Yogi Adityanath has the reputation of being a Hindutva right-wing populist.
Wiki/Biography
Yogi Adityanath was born on Monday, 5 June 1972 (age 51 years; as of 2023) in Panchur, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. His zodiac sign is Gemini. He received his primary education from the local schools of Pauri and Rishikesh. He studied at Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Uttarakhand and received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1992.
Yogi Adityanath in school
He left his home to join the Ayodhya Ram Mandir movement in the mid-1990s. There he met Mahant Avaidyanath, the former Mahant (chief priest) of Gorakhnath Math, whom he greatly admired and was inspired by. Mahant Avaidyanath once met Adityanath’s father and said that he had 3 more sons, and please make Adityanath his disciple; To which his father happily agreed. In 1993 Adityanath abandoned his family, and he traveled to Gorakhpur to become the Mahant’s disciple and eventually his favorite disciple.
Yogi Adityanath with Mahant Avaidyanath
His initiation took place in 1994 when Mahant Avaidyanath named him his successor and chief priest of Gorakhnath Math. Since he was named the successor of the Gorakhnath Math, it was one of his duties to manage the many schools, colleges and hospitals run by the Gorakhnath Trust Fund.
Yogi Adityanath after being made the successor of Gorakhnath Math
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 4″
Eye colour: black
Yogi Adityanath
Family
Yogi Adityanath belongs to a Kshatriya family. His parents named him Ajay and his real name is Ajay Mohan Bisht. After initiation he was given the name “Yogi Adityanath”. His father, Anand Singh Bisht, a forest ranger, died of a chronic illness on 20 April 2020 at AIIMS, New Delhi. His mother, Savitri Devi is a housewife. He is the second born among four brothers and three sisters in his family. His sister, Shashi (eldest of three sisters), runs a tea shop in Uttarakhand. She says she is happy in the mountains and doesn’t want to move anywhere else.
Yogi Adityanath’s parents Anand Singh Bisht and Savitri Devi
Yogi Adityanath’s sister Shashi Singh
Yogi Adityanath with his family
His youngest brother, Shailendra Mohan, is a Subedar-Major in the Garhwal Scouts Unit and is posted near the India-China Line of Actual Control.
Yogi Adityanath’s youngest brother Shailendra Mohan
Yogi Adityanath’s brother Mahendra Singh Bisht
Yogi Adityanath’s eldest brother Manvendra Mohan
livelihood
He got his first experience in politics in 1996 when he was given the responsibility of managing the election campaign of Mahant Avaidyanath. In 1998, when Mahant Avaidyanath retired, he made Adityanath the candidate from the Gorakhpur seat. Yogi contested the Lok Sabha elections from Gorakhpur and won. He was the youngest Member of Parliament in the 12th Lok Sabha at the age of 26. After his first election victory, he started his youth wing, Hindu Yuva Vahini, which was quite controversial and established Yogi Adityanath’s image as a right-winger. Wing populist Hindutva firebrand.
Yogi Adityanath’s Hindu Yuva Vahini
After this, Yogi won the Lok Sabha elections for 5 consecutive times from 1998 to 2014. As an MP, he was included as a member in several committees over the years, such as the Committee on Food, Civil Supplies, Department of Sugar and Edible Oils, Consultative Committee on Home Ministry, Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, Foreign Affairs Committee of and many more.
In 2017, BJP won a landslide victory in the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. Yogi Adityanath was announced as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on 18 March 2017. He was sworn in the next day on 19 March 2017.
Yogi Adityanath after taking oath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
In March 2022, he was declared the winner from Gorakhpur constituency in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections; His victory margin was more than 73 thousand votes. On 25 March 2022, he became the first person to be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the second consecutive term after completing a full five-year tenure in the state; The swearing-in ceremony was held at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
controversies
- In 2005, he led a religious conversion campaign; During this time he converted many people of different religions to Hinduism. In one such purification drive, he reportedly converted 1800 Muslims to Hinduism in Etah, Uttar Pradesh.
- In 2007, a Hindu child died in a Hindu-Muslim clash during the festival of Muharram. After the riots ended, Yogi Adityanath visited the place where the child died and gave a hate speech. After his speech, the police arrested Yogi and some of his followers; Due to which violence spread throughout Gorakhpur. Yogi was released after a fortnight, but during this period 10 people lost their lives. They said-
If they (Muslims) kill one of our Hindu brothers, we will kill 10 of them. If they can burn our houses and shops, who is stopping us from doing the same”
- In 2015, International Yoga Day was introduced and they made it mandatory to participate in it. Many people and minority groups in India said they would participate in Yoga Day, but would not perform Surya Namaskar; Because it opposes their religious sentiments. Yogi Adityanath replied to this and said-
People who oppose ‘Surya Namaskar’ should die by drowning in the sea. Lord Shankar was the greatest yogi who started Yoga and those who want to avoid Yoga and Lord Shankar can leave Hindustan.”
- In 2015, when Shahrukh Khan had given a statement regarding intolerance in India, Yogi, while giving a statement in the Parliament, had compared him with Pakistan-based terrorist Hafiz Saeed. They said-
There is no difference in the language of Shahrukh Khan and Hafeez Saeed. There is a conspiracy going on in India to poison the environment of the country and Shahrukh Khan has also become a part of it.
- In 2016, he created a big controversy with his remarks against Muslims. They said-
If the Muslim population continues to grow at this rate, a situation of population imbalance will arise in India.”
- On June 20, 2016, at a religious gathering in Basti, he said-
Mother Teresa was part of the conspiracy to Christianize India. In the name of serving Hindus, they were targeted and then their religion was converted.
- On 15 April 2019, the Election Commission of India (ECI) imposed a 72-hour ban on Yogi Adityanath from campaigning. This was imposed for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC); Just days before the ban, he was warned by the ECI for his comments about the Indian Army. He had called it Modi’s army. This time, while countering Mayawati’s statement, he has given the statement that-
If Congress, BSP and SP have faith in Ali then we also have faith in Bajrang Bali.
fact
- He was interested in studies since childhood. When he was in college and used to come to his home during holidays, he used to motivate his brothers and sisters to study.
Yogi Adityanath in college
- In 1993, he left his home and renounced all worldly pleasures when he joined Mahant Avaidyanath as a disciple. After becoming a monk, he was given the name Yogi Adityanath.
- Yogi Mahant considered Avaidyanath as his spiritual guru and when Yogi Adityanath was entrusted with the task of handling his political campaign, he kept the Hindutva agenda at the forefront.
Yogi Adityanath with Mahant Avaidyanath
- He was appointed as the Mahant (chief priest) of the Gorakhnath temple after the death of Mahant Avaidyanath on 14 September 2014.
Yogi Adityanath worshiping after becoming Mahant
- Yogi’s image is as the firebrand Hindutva face of BJP. He has made many controversial statements and hate speeches against Muslims and is widely known for them.
Yogi Adityanath
- He has organized Yogi’s Janata Darbar in Gorakhnath Math; In which he solves the local problems of the people of Gorakhpur and surrounding districts. Interestingly, many Muslims also participate in it to find solutions to their problems and not everyone who comes to Janata Darbar returns without a solution.
Yogi Adityanath in Janata Darbar
- Yogi is an animal lover. Whenever he is in Gorakhpur, he spends time in the cowshed of Gorakhnath Math. Every morning he spends time with them and feeds them. The priests of the temple claim that Yogi knows the names of all the cows present there.
Yogi Adityanath in Gaushala
- In May 2022, he tweeted a photo of his mother in which he is seen touching her feet; The photo was taken in his native village Panchur in Pauri district of Uttarakhand, where he had visited for the first time after becoming the Chief Minister. Adityanath could not attend his father’s funeral on 21 April 2020 as he wanted to ensure the implementation of the COVID-induced lockdown.
Yogi Adityanath took blessings from his mother Savitri Devi during his visit to his native Panchur village.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn