…continuing from yesterday
Unlike Karnataka, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat and Rajasthan we
found the state of UP bustling with activity. There was no complacency. Driving
over 5000kms through 11 divisions of UP, we gathered lot of hope. The
pessimism, complacency and disillusionment seen elsewhere was present in much
less proportion.
The youth in particular appeared “self motivated”. In that
sense the feudal structure of the state appeared to be cracking from many
places. The youth is certainly accepting the government facilitation but we
found them least reliant on the political establishment or government --
something not found elsewhere, except Gujarat, in our journey so far.
Some of the key highlights of our discovery of UP are as
follows:
(a)
Owning and brandishing guns had traditionally
been a passion, especially in Western UP. We found a conspicuous change –
utility vehicles have replaced gun as primary passion. Sophisticated revolvers
though continue to remain a coveted possession in both rural and urban upper
middle class.
(b)
Motor cycle has replaced bicycle as a mandatory
dowry item. It is almost impossible to marry your daughter if you cannot afford
a motorcycle in dowry. Smart phones also find place in most ‘demand lists’. A
Gram Pradhan (Village’s Local Body Head) felt this is a collateral damage of
better road and mobility network. Roads were indeed much better.
(c)
We found most small factories running on diesel
genset. All owners cribbed about poor power supply. Genset and inverters have
become more important household appliance than TV and refrigerator.
(d)
Many people told us how the state has been
mismanaged post separation of Uttrakhand. Special status and large hydro power
production has led to new industries flocking to Kashipur/Rudrapur area,
besides neighboring Paonta Sahib and Baddi in HP. Many small industries like
leather and textile have lost to cheap Chinese imports. Agra sells more Chinese
fake leather shoes and Varanasi sells more Chinese artificial silk sarees.
(e)
Society is divided on caste and religion but
surprisingly the division is not as acrimonious as was found in the case
Gujarat (religion) and Rajasthan (caste).
(f)
Political awareness is very high in the state
despite poor literacy rate. However, political commitment is relatively low.
Most young voters would vote for the individual candidate rather than the party
he belongs to. Nonetheless, Mayawati has a strong area of influence in dalits
and most backwards. Congress and BJP have a miniscule core constituency.
(g)
The common feature was total and complete
disregard for political establishment and government. Local self government in
rural area has gained tremendous strength in past one decade.
(h)
Most people feel Akhilesh Yadav is an
underperformer. However, they would give him some more time.
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