UNEASE IN YOGI GOVERNMENT, MINISTER RESIGNS, ANOTHER IN DELHI

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath faces first public resentment with the Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Dinesh Khatik, on Wednesday resigning from the government. In a parallel development, another minister, Jitin Prasada, is reportedly seething with resentment at the Chief Minister and is meeting with the BJP leadership in Delhi.

Both the incidents are the rare examples of resenment coming out in the open in any BJP government.

It all began with the recent transfers of government servants in the Yogi government. Reacting to the transfer, Khatik sent his resignation to the chief minister along with a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Khatik complaining that he was “sidelined because he is a Dalit”.

The letter referred to allegation of corruption in transfers. It stated that bureaucrats and subordinates did not listen to him and had not responded to his letter several times. The department did not allot him any work in spite of being in office for more than 100 days. The Minister also pointed out that he has not informed about daily work, meetings and important events.

He further added that rampant corruption in Namami Gange, an ambitious Project of PM Modi on cleaning the 800 km long River Ganges have been noticed.

Jitin Prasada, the PWD Minister in Yogi government, is angry over an official on his team being suspended by the Chief Minister. The department has been on the radar for several months for the allegations of corruption. The Chief Minister’s office reportedly ordered an investigation, and several officials were found to be involved in bribe-for-transfers.

On Tuesday, the UP government suspended five senior PWD officers over serious irregularities in departmental transfers.

Mr Prasada’s Officer on Special Duty Anil Kumar Pandey, an IAS officer, was among those accused of taking bribes for transfers and postings. Pandey was removed and a vigilance inquiry was launched against him.