- A poster campaign in UP contrasts Akhilesh Yadav with CM Yogi Adityanath using Dhurandhar movie themes
- Posters show news reports of riots under Akhilesh and gangster killings under Yogi's government
- Youth Against Mafia, behind the campaign, says it aims to educate youth on UP's past crime and law issues
A 'Dhurandhar' poster campaign has started in Uttar Pradesh, with a youth organisation projecting next year's Assembly election as a choice between "Akhilesh's (Yadav) Lyari Raj" and "Dhurandhar" Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The references are from Aditya Dhar's blockbuster movies Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar The Revenge. For those who skipped the movies, Lyari is a densely populated Karachi neighbourhood that once lived under the shadow of gang wars. Lyari forms a key setting in the Dhurandhar universe. And the first part shows Rehman Dakait, played by Akshaye Khanna, as an influential gangster virtually ruling Lyari.
The posters, which have appeared in over 10 cities of Uttar Pradesh, show Samajwadi Party president and former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in the avatar of Rehman Dakait and pit him against Adityanath, whose government is set to complete a decade in power. On one side of the poster is a collage of news reports on communal riots during the Akhilesh Yadav regime. The other side showcases news reports about gangsters being killed after the Yogi Adityanath government came to power. These killings include the murders of Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf, who were shot dead on live television while police were taking them for a medical check-up.
These posters in Lucknow, Malihabad, Sitapur, Hardoi, Jaunpur, Barabanki, Azamgarh, Noida, Pratapgarh, Amethi and Gonda have been put up by an organisation named Youth Against Mafia. The 'about' section on this organisation's website says, "Uttar Pradesh cannot build a prosperous future if public memory fades. Periods of organised crime, fear, violence, and weakened rule of law do not just harm victims in the moment. They shrink investment confidence, discourage entrepreneurship, weaken local economies, reduce job creation, and damage the hopes of an entire generation.
"Youth Against Mafia exists to turn memory into civic action. The foundation will document the past, educate the present, and help shape a future where young people defend a safer and more opportunity-led Uttar Pradesh," it adds.
Abhinav Tiwari, general secretary of Youth Against Mafia, said the organisation has no links to any political party. "We have started this awareness drive to inform people from Gen Z about what Uttar Pradesh went through. Riots used to take place, and the youth of today must not forget that," he said.
Fakhrul Hasan Chand, Samajwadi Party spokesperson, said people are unsafe under the BJP government, irrespective of whether they are at home, in jail or on the road. "That BJP government throws allegations against the Samajwadi Party. If you search on the Internet, 'Atiq with BJP leaders', you will see the real face of the BJP," he said. "Uttar Pradesh's law and order situation is in tatters, and the BJP government has completely failed to fix it."
