A K Sharma: A Political Discovery Or An Unfolding Story of Inclusiveness?

Lucknow, May 3 (TNA) A popular adage goes on how situations produce new leaders. And what place better than Uttar Pradesh, the centre of politics in India, to find it coming true?

The state’s Power and Urban Development Minister AK Sharma has in him what electoral politics needs today to succeed in UP.

During Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations in Mau and Ballia Districts of eastern UP last Month, the SC community branded Sharma as their new Kanshi Ram icon of SCs. Kanshi Ram, the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) now headed by Mayawati, was a tall leader of Dalit and many see Sharma’s politics echo similar sentiments.

At his recent rallies, many slogans that caught the eye of the media and his supporters alike were: Gali Gali men naam hai; A K Kanshi Ram hai and Ak Sharma naam hai, kaam se KanshiRam hai. These slogans were heard and seen written at least at a dozen public meetings organised on the 13th and 14th of April days of Babasaheb's Jayanti.

Similarly, his reach in the backward community has increased phenomenally. On Nishaad Jayanti in April, at a function in Mau, he was branded by this community as the staunch believer and bhakt of Lord Shri Ram whom Nishaad Raj also adored. Many point out how the

Shringverpur Dhaam of the Nishaad community was developed during Mahakumbh which his department organised.

During a BJP meeting on One Nation, One Election, in Gorakhpur on 27th April, a huge gathering including those of professors of Gorakhpur University, politicians, businessmen, industrialists, students, and religious and intellectual figures lauded his speech which was full of passion, patriotism and respect as well as understanding of our civilisational values.

A few days later on 30th April, in Gaziabaad, an equally huge gathering applauded his behaviour and speech surrounding lord Parashuram and inclusivity of Brahmins. At the same time, the speech was full of development approaches for the entire community including Brahmins, SCs and backward-class people. while Brahmins called him the face of Brahmin politics; he insisted that he stood for inclusivity.

The younger lot of Purvanchal and Madhyaanchal shout slogans: Dekho dekho kaun aaya, Poorvanchal ka sher aaya, AK hai to OK hai and many bill him as a Vikaas Purush, for the gigantic leaps that the state has taken in departments like urban development and power which he heads in the Yogi Adityanath government.

He is considered a nice, friendly, smiling human being but a tough and efficient administrator. A sensitive person, but a hard taskmaster. MLAs and the public both appreciate the improvements in the two departments that he is handling as Minister. Both Urban development and energy supply are the USPs of the present government in UP. His role in Mahakumbh as nodal Minister has also been appreciated widely for its efficient management.

Sharma has thus emerged as a grounded mass leader and a political magnet in addition to being an experienced, tested and accomplished administrator. That too with a deep religious belief in Sanatana dharma in general and Mahadev-Mahadevi in Particular. On being asked, his supporters say that AK Sharma is not a discovery, but he is an unfolding story of BJP for the last 25 years. While being in bureaucracy, his political career had started when he joined Narendra Modi, just on the day of his becoming chief minister of Gujarat in 2001.

Since then he has seen and contributed to the rise of BJP in India and abroad. In 2021 when he joined politics, he was directed to bring together all factions of BJP particularly Brahmins, SCs and backwards which he did very well. Similarly, time has again come, and today's responsibility is also on his shoulders to bring together many sections, factions and castes in society as well as groups in BJP.