CM Yogi and the Bulldozer Gift: Normalizing State Fear Through a Child

A recent video from the Gorakhnath temple in Uttar Pradesh shows Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath smiling while a young girl gifts him a toy bulldozer. While the media paints this as a sweet human moment, the reality is far more dark. In today’s politics, the bulldozer is not a tool for building. It is a symbol of state power used to crush homes and silence dissent. This moment shows how a harsh political weapon is being turned into a lovable toy to make state violence look normal. When a child is used to soften the image of a machine that causes so much pain, it shows a deep moral failure in how the government wants to be seen.

A Reputation Built on Destruction

The bulldozer has become the primary brand of the leadership in Uttar Pradesh. This did not happen by chance. For years, the government has used demolitions as a form of political theater. It is presented as strong rule, but in reality, it is a way to bypass the law. By making the bulldozer a campaign symbol, the state sends a message that it does not care about court hearings or evidence. It wants the public to see and fear its power. When this symbol enters the world of children, the government is trying to make the public accept displacement and destruction as a regular part of life.

Turning Punishment into a Performance

In a real democracy, punishment is a legal matter that happens after a fair trial. However, bulldozer politics turns punishment into a public show. The goal is to make the crowd cheer while someone’s home is destroyed. This creates a dangerous environment where being accused of a crime is treated the same as being guilty. The law requires notices and hearings, but the bulldozer ignores all of that. It is not justice. It is the rule of fear. When people start to enjoy the sight of destruction, the very idea of fairness in society begins to die.

The Numbers Behind the Cruelty

This is not just about a few houses. The data shows a systematic plan to target specific groups. Amnesty International reported that in 2024, they looked at the demolition of 128 properties across states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat. These actions took place between April and June 2022 and affected at least 617 people. The report called these extrajudicial punishments that were encouraged by top officials. These facts prove that the bulldozer is being used as a weapon to punish people without ever giving them a chance to defend themselves in court.

The Most Vulnerable Carry the Burden

The bulldozer does not hit everyone equally. It mostly falls on the poor and minority communities who have no way to fight back. In November 2024, reports showed that the Supreme Court had to stop the government from destroying houses belonging to people who were only suspected of crimes. United Nations experts also spoke out in June 2025 against these acts. They pointed to Gujarat, where over 10,000 structures, including homes and mosques, were destroyed in April and May 2025. Another 500 buildings were leveled on 29 May 2025. This data shows that the state is using these machines to target the most vulnerable people in society.

A Judicial Warning to the State

The strongest criticism of this policy came from India’s own Supreme Court. In November 2024, the court ruled that no demolition should happen without its permission in those specific cases. The judges made it clear that the government must follow the law and give proper notice before taking any action. They warned that the state cannot act based on public anger or for political points. When the highest court has to tell the government to stop destroying houses, it proves that the executive power has gone out of control. It shows that the system is broken when destruction becomes faster than justice.

Making State Violence Look Lovable

The viral video of the child giving the gift is a calculated move to hide the truth. A child does not know what a bulldozer means to a family that has lost its home, but the politicians do. By accepting the bulldozer as a cute toy, the state is trying to make people forget the screams of those who watched their lives being crushed. This is how authoritarian power works. It does not always use force. Sometimes it uses a smile and a child to make violence look like a badge of pride. It trains the public to love the very thing that should terrify them.

Justice is Better Than State Revenge

A government should teach its citizens to value fairness and the law. It should not turn the tools of intimidation into a mascot. The bulldozer should never be the face of a country. When destruction becomes a brand, people start to value revenge more than justice. This viral moment was not an innocent exchange. It was a lesson in how the state wants to be remembered. We must remember that true justice is found in a fair trial, not in the path of a machine. Using a child to sell the image of a bulldozer is a sign of a political system that has lost its heart.