The power struggle among ministers and bureaucrats is filtering out of the closely guarded power corridors in Uttar Pradesh.
Dinesh Khatik, the junior minister in the coveted Jal Shakti Ministry, earlier this week, submitted his resignation from the Cabinet, alleging that he was being discriminated against because he was a Dalit.
He had also written to Home Minister Amit Shah in this regard, saying that he was being ignored in work distribution due to his caste.
However, just a day later, Khatik said that all his issues had been put to rest after he met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at the latter's official residence. He also added that he would continue in his post.
"Whatever my issues were, I have put them before the CM. Action will be taken," Khatik said while speaking to reporters after the meeting.
Khatik, an MLA from Hastinapur, was given the post of minister of state for Jal Shakti in Adityanath's government after it won a second term earlier this year.
According to sources, he had not been getting along with bureaucrats in his department as they were constantly advising him to consult Cabinet minister Swatantra Dev Singh before taking decisions.
However, despite Khatik's about-turn, all is not well in Adityanath's government.
Instability in the Yogi Government?
The latest example of the power struggle between ministers and bureaucrats came from the state's health department.
A letter written by Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak to Additional Chief Secretary Amit Mohan made sensational allegations regarding recent transfers in his department.
Sources say that Mohan later informed the minister that all transfers were made in accordance with the rules. However, the matter did not end there.
The government found many irregularities, as per a source.
CM Adityanath also ordered a probe into the alleged irregularities in the transfers from the health department.
Two additional chief secretaries – Awanish Awasthi and Sanjay Bhoosreddy – were tasked to look into the matter and prepare a report.
Rumblings in the Health Department
The issue of lack of coordination in the energy department led to the shunting of Principal Secretary M Devraj. Additional CS Awasthi had thus been entrusted with the additional charge of the department.
Sources say that Energy Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma had many differences with Devraj. The crisis deepened with the electricity shortage during the summer months and the issue of coal import.
The public works department (PWD) saw similar fracases when the head of the department (HOD), Manoj Kumar Gupta, and two others were recently suspended for alleged irregularities in transfer-postings in the department.
Sources say that Jitin Prasada, the minister incharge, was unhappy with officials in his department. The other reason for Prasada’s discontentment was that CM Adityanath had sent one of his preferred Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, Anil Kumar Pandey, to Delhi.
The UP chief minister had also ordered a vigilance and departmental inquiry against Pandey. It is believed that it was Prasad who had Pandey transferred to UP from Delhi in the first place.
Several rumours are rife in the alleys of Lucknow, but no minister has overtly slammed the Adityanath government.
The state government has also put the bureaucracy to work to contain the situation.
However, the resignation letter of Khatik is proof that all's not well in Adityanath's government, his about-turn notwithstanding.
The Samajwadi Party had also taken potshots at the BJP over Khatik's resignation.
"A Dalit minister is being discriminated against in the BJP government! MoS in UP government Dinesh Khatik has expressed his pain in the letter, saying that his senior minister does not listen to him as he is a Dali. This is the real face of the BJP, which always disrespects Dalits and the backward classes. Jal Shakti minister should resign," a tweet from the official handle of the party said.
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