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From Lucknow to Lutyens: The Power and Plight of Uttar Pradesh
With a population that would make it the fifth most populated in the world if it were a country, Uttar Pradesh has undoubtedly been India's most politically important state since Independence. It sends the highest number of Lok Sabha members to Parliament and has the biggest legislature in the country. It also has to its credit the highest number of prime ministers and powerful political dynasties.
Yet it has been behind several states, despite being home to bastions of some of the biggest names in Indian politics. With its clear and decisive imprint on national politics, UP also reflects some of its worst from casteism and using religion as a political plank to manoeuvring for power.
From Lucknow to Lutyens tells the fascinating story of UP in post-Independence India and the intertwined fortunes of the two.
Yet it has been behind several states, despite being home to bastions of some of the biggest names in Indian politics. With its clear and decisive imprint on national politics, UP also reflects some of its worst from casteism and using religion as a political plank to manoeuvring for power.
From Lucknow to Lutyens tells the fascinating story of UP in post-Independence India and the intertwined fortunes of the two.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 15, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 7, 2022
The intriguing title got my attention as I always wondered with this question . The state with an envious kitty of Prime ministers , Home ministers , Union leaders , Peasant leaders etc still counts as one of the backward states of the country . With 1/6th of Bharat’s population third among it being below 30 , UP holds tremendous potential to lead 21st centuries India’s growth story but the catch is why it hasn’t so far . The book tries to dwell on this question.
The road to Delhi passes through Lucknow. With 80 MP’s Uttarpradesh holds the key to the Delhi Durbar. The author stresses on this point and raises the question of its under development even being a power house . The Indian leaders who rose to the prominence in the center have always tried to improve their home bastions . The likes of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mamata Banerjee when as Railway minsters greatly improved railway infrastructures in their home bastions . Then why UP being the crucible of India’s greatest Prime ministers could do the same for itself .
In my opinion the key to the power is itself its biggest disadvantage . So important is this key that everyone tried to steal it in every possible way . And with it comes the interference from Lutyens as UP is so important that everyone wanted to meddle in leaving little room for federalism to prosper and contribute to its development . Too many cooks literally spoil the food and it happened so in UP. Before 2007 , there was never a full term Chief Minister in UP’s post independent history speaks volumes about this meddling .
The land of Ganga-Yamuna , the cradle of Indian Civilisation and its numerous empires is today a part of BIMARU states . The state is an example of mis-governance playing havoc with the socio-economic profile of the state and the society . With all the hall bulla of technological development and technology being shown as a panacea for every problem , the UP example shows that Governance and right Politics is the key .
UP being so important in electoral politics every kind of mobilisation in terms of caste , communal , crime was testing in this electoral laboratory and it had to face the brunt of its harmful byproduct’s . The economic reforms of 1991 which paved for the transformation in states like Karnataka , A.P could do so in UP because of its unstable polity . The period between 1995 to 2000 saw 5 chief ministers in UP.
The economic reforms of 1991 also brought in many new changes and forced Indian farmers , small and medium scale industries to global competition which many could not withstand . What was required in this period was right policies to make best use of the reforms and protect the vulnerable with government support . Too involved in the musical chairs of power tussles , the UP polity could not give enough attention to the basic needs of its people and faced the biggest brunt of negative fallout of liberalisation . Rather than just missing the bus it went under the bus .
The caste and criminalisation of politics is not just an outcome of under development but also its very cause . The polity not just supported the criminals but also used them pawns for power . The fundamental necessity for economy to take and society to prosper and grow is the law and order . And it is this which took a back seat with kidnappings and killings . Naturally the ecosystem for business suffered . Even the initiatives at the level of Prime minsters to develop manufacturing and industries suffered as the favourable ecosystem for business to prosper was absent . The forced industrialisation died with the leader or his electoral reverses . The closed industrial shutters in Amethi , Rae Bareli are a telling example of the same .
The analysis of reasons behind the UP’s under-development shows the lessons and scope for its development strategy . With 1/3rd of population below 30 , falling fertility levels shows that UP is in a demographic transition suitably placed for reaping the fruits of demographic dividend . The stable polities in the last 15 years provides the hope . The year 2021 showed the promise with the lowest unemployment levels . Now the governance and the polity has to gear up to maximise the UP’s potential .
UP’s electoral strength and its geographical closeness to Delhi which are its weaknesses more than strength . The humongous state with regions : Harit Pradesh , Bundelkhand , Baghelkhand , Purvanchal , central UP is diverse in terms of its population , development , geography etc making governance difficult . The uniform policies for all the regions is definitely not advisable . The very geography makes the governance difficult for Lucknow. So there is a strong case for division and reorganisation of UP .
UP is too important for 21st century India’s growth and development and ignoring this fact will be a catastrophe .
The road to Delhi passes through Lucknow. With 80 MP’s Uttarpradesh holds the key to the Delhi Durbar. The author stresses on this point and raises the question of its under development even being a power house . The Indian leaders who rose to the prominence in the center have always tried to improve their home bastions . The likes of Lalu Prasad Yadav and Mamata Banerjee when as Railway minsters greatly improved railway infrastructures in their home bastions . Then why UP being the crucible of India’s greatest Prime ministers could do the same for itself .
In my opinion the key to the power is itself its biggest disadvantage . So important is this key that everyone tried to steal it in every possible way . And with it comes the interference from Lutyens as UP is so important that everyone wanted to meddle in leaving little room for federalism to prosper and contribute to its development . Too many cooks literally spoil the food and it happened so in UP. Before 2007 , there was never a full term Chief Minister in UP’s post independent history speaks volumes about this meddling .
The land of Ganga-Yamuna , the cradle of Indian Civilisation and its numerous empires is today a part of BIMARU states . The state is an example of mis-governance playing havoc with the socio-economic profile of the state and the society . With all the hall bulla of technological development and technology being shown as a panacea for every problem , the UP example shows that Governance and right Politics is the key .
UP being so important in electoral politics every kind of mobilisation in terms of caste , communal , crime was testing in this electoral laboratory and it had to face the brunt of its harmful byproduct’s . The economic reforms of 1991 which paved for the transformation in states like Karnataka , A.P could do so in UP because of its unstable polity . The period between 1995 to 2000 saw 5 chief ministers in UP.
The economic reforms of 1991 also brought in many new changes and forced Indian farmers , small and medium scale industries to global competition which many could not withstand . What was required in this period was right policies to make best use of the reforms and protect the vulnerable with government support . Too involved in the musical chairs of power tussles , the UP polity could not give enough attention to the basic needs of its people and faced the biggest brunt of negative fallout of liberalisation . Rather than just missing the bus it went under the bus .
The caste and criminalisation of politics is not just an outcome of under development but also its very cause . The polity not just supported the criminals but also used them pawns for power . The fundamental necessity for economy to take and society to prosper and grow is the law and order . And it is this which took a back seat with kidnappings and killings . Naturally the ecosystem for business suffered . Even the initiatives at the level of Prime minsters to develop manufacturing and industries suffered as the favourable ecosystem for business to prosper was absent . The forced industrialisation died with the leader or his electoral reverses . The closed industrial shutters in Amethi , Rae Bareli are a telling example of the same .
The analysis of reasons behind the UP’s under-development shows the lessons and scope for its development strategy . With 1/3rd of population below 30 , falling fertility levels shows that UP is in a demographic transition suitably placed for reaping the fruits of demographic dividend . The stable polities in the last 15 years provides the hope . The year 2021 showed the promise with the lowest unemployment levels . Now the governance and the polity has to gear up to maximise the UP’s potential .
UP’s electoral strength and its geographical closeness to Delhi which are its weaknesses more than strength . The humongous state with regions : Harit Pradesh , Bundelkhand , Baghelkhand , Purvanchal , central UP is diverse in terms of its population , development , geography etc making governance difficult . The uniform policies for all the regions is definitely not advisable . The very geography makes the governance difficult for Lucknow. So there is a strong case for division and reorganisation of UP .
UP is too important for 21st century India’s growth and development and ignoring this fact will be a catastrophe .
March 14, 2022
I'm sure we all have wondered why isn't there an easily accessible book on the topic we're so interested in. For me it was Uttar Pradesh politics and it's journey. One can find a plethora of books in Hindi talking about regional parties, their growth, the impact they had on the national discourse but rarely do they detail comprehensively about the state. Abhigyan Prakash, well known journalist and anchor, bridges that gap quite well in his book, from Lutyens to Lucknow.
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Uttar Pradesh has been mired with irony ever since independence. Being the most populous state, with the maximum contribution to Members of Parliaments and even being the home constituencies for several Prime Ministers and party Presidents, why did the promised development never reach the last mile in the state? Why is the state, even today, in the last decile in almost every marker of human development? Why do people from UP move out of the state and become the engines for growth of other states as well as countries but nothing changes in UP? Abhigyan Prakash, being a UPite himself, ponders over these questions in this awesome book. Be it the over enthusiasm over caste, tearing apart the social fabric, or religious fundamentalism pushing people against one another, or incessant corruption in government tenders, or growth of mafia turned political leaders as a result of all of the above factors, UP has seen it all. But where do we go now? Should we just let it all slide? With the recent elections and the return of the incumbent government, UP is ushering into a new era. Whether it's negative or positive would be dependent on how you've been trained to think.
.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Barring some instances where the author repeats the same fact again and again, it is a super informative book. Reading about the brief history of gangsters and mafia turned politicians whose names we've only heard in old news debates was a revelation. But more than anything, this book gives me hope. The path to solution starts with gaining the understanding of the problem. This book brings us closer to that understanding.
.
Thank you @harpercollinsin for the review copy. Definitely recommended.
.
Uttar Pradesh has been mired with irony ever since independence. Being the most populous state, with the maximum contribution to Members of Parliaments and even being the home constituencies for several Prime Ministers and party Presidents, why did the promised development never reach the last mile in the state? Why is the state, even today, in the last decile in almost every marker of human development? Why do people from UP move out of the state and become the engines for growth of other states as well as countries but nothing changes in UP? Abhigyan Prakash, being a UPite himself, ponders over these questions in this awesome book. Be it the over enthusiasm over caste, tearing apart the social fabric, or religious fundamentalism pushing people against one another, or incessant corruption in government tenders, or growth of mafia turned political leaders as a result of all of the above factors, UP has seen it all. But where do we go now? Should we just let it all slide? With the recent elections and the return of the incumbent government, UP is ushering into a new era. Whether it's negative or positive would be dependent on how you've been trained to think.
.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Barring some instances where the author repeats the same fact again and again, it is a super informative book. Reading about the brief history of gangsters and mafia turned politicians whose names we've only heard in old news debates was a revelation. But more than anything, this book gives me hope. The path to solution starts with gaining the understanding of the problem. This book brings us closer to that understanding.
.
Thank you @harpercollinsin for the review copy. Definitely recommended.
May 10, 2022
The author, a well-known electronic media journalist hailing originally from UP, delves into the causes and background because of which the State - despite its central importance in the Indian scheme of things in post-independence India - continues to be an underdeveloped state far below its potential.
April 20, 2022
A few facts here and there. A book about UPs political influence on Indian politics could have been so much richer especially coming from the seasoned commentator like Abhigyan. This book just complies a few fables at a very surface level and that's about it.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews