Discontent in Jewar beyond the Airport

Tue, 28 Dec 2021 12:49:48 +0000

On November 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath Yogi made televised speeches at the launch of a new international airport in Jewar that falls in Gautam Buddha Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh. Three days later as I set out for a tour of western UP towards Agra/Mathura, it was a simple turn off the highway to reach Jewar, where crowds had been mobilized and ferried to the airport launch in the election bound state. (It must be noted that the airport inauguration was a government event but was conducted like a political rally, and should have raised questions about propriety).