KOZHIKODE: A few years ago, the Uttar Pradesh government launched a helpline number, declaring it a direct link to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Soon, trouble began for A L Babu, a journalist living nearly 2,500 km away, in Kozhikode. For the past three years, Babu has been getting calls on his mobile number from people looking for help from Adityanath. All he has been able to do is sigh and tell them they have the wrong person.
The UP government had launched the helpline number (9454404444), saying it would let people directly connect with Adityanath. Some time later, Babu, whose phone number differs from that of the helpline by a single digit, started getting many calls.
“I have been receiving calls from UP for the past three years. Many people, call me crying in the hope of speaking to the CM. What can I do other than explaining that they have dialled the wrong number,” says Babu, a newsreader at a local television channel. He says while some hang up, crestfallen, others get offended and hurl abuses at him.
To manage the flood of calls, Babu is relying on caller identification apps like Truecaller to decide which ones to pick up. Babu, who worked in a telecom company before entering the journalism field, says he went to great lengths to secure his fancy number for him and his family, and he has shared the number with his contacts throughout his career.
“I approached the police for help, but all they could suggest was that I change my number. However, that would prove disruptive to my professional and personal life,” he rues.