Biography of Yogi Adityanath

Yogi Adityanath

Yogi Adityanath is an Indian Hindu monk and politician serving as the 22nd and current Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, in office since 19 March 2017. He was appointed as the Chief Minister on 26 March 2017 after the Bharatiya Janata Party won the 2017 State Assembly elections, in which he was a prominent campaigner.

Born: 5 June 1972 (age 48 years), Pauri Garhwal

Education: HEMVATI NANDAN BAHUGUNA GARHWAL UNIVERSITY

Office: Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh until 19 Mar 2022

Previous office: Member of the Lok Sabha (1998–2017)

He was appointed as the Chief Minister on 26 March 2017 after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the 2017 State Assembly elections, in which he was a prominent campaigner. He has been the Member of Parliament from the Gorakhpur constituency, Uttar Pradesh, for five consecutive terms since 1998.

Adityanath is also the Mahant or head priest of the Gorakhnath Math, a Hindu temple in Gorakhpur, a position he has held since the death of his spiritual "father", Mahant Avaidyanath, in September 2014. He is also the founder of Hindu Yuva Vahini, a Hindu Nationalist organisation. He is often considered a Hindu nationalist due to his controversial views. He has an image as a right-wing populist Hindutva firebrand.

In January 2007, Adityanath with other BJP leaders had gathered to mourn the death of a man who was killed because of religious violence. He and his supporters were subsequently arrested by the police and lodged in Gorkhapur jail on the charges of disturbing peace and violating prohibitory orders. His arrest led to further unrest during which several coaches of the Mumbai bound Mumbai-Gorakhpur Godan Express were burnt, allegedly by protesting Hindu Yuva Vahini activists. The day after the arrest, the District Magistrate and the local police chief were transferred and replaced.

In 2011, the documentary film Saffron War – Radicalization of Hinduism accused Adityanath of promoting communal disharmony in Uttar Pradesh through hate speeches.

In June 2015, Adityanath, while talking about Surya Namaskara, and Yoga said that those who want to avoid Yoga can leave Hindustan. He "requested" those who see communalism in the Sun God to drown themselves in the sea or live in a dark room for the rest of their lives.

During the intolerance debate in the Indian media in late 2015, Adityanath commented that actor Shah Rukh Khan was using the same "language" as Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed.