Lucknow: Under attack from detractors in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for his ‘inaccessibility’, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is now regularly meeting with public representatives, warning officials, withdrawing decisions on public demand as well as taking charge of the upcoming assembly bypolls.
After the Lok Sabha setback, many BJP MLAs, MLCs and public representatives, including Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, have been indulging in a veiled attack on the Yogi-led state government, with Maurya repeatedly declaring that the party is bigger than the government and that no one is bigger than the organisation. Some other UP BJP leaders have spoken publicly about ‘corrupt bureaucracy’ in an indirect attack on Yogi, and also exhorted the party high command to step in.
Adityanath’s loyalists say the CM’s style of functioning is showing a visible change — one that includes accommodating demands of party leaders, and keeping the bureaucracy under check.
The CM is holding meetings with the BJP’s public representatives and taking steps to send a message that he is very much in charge and remains in control in Uttar Pradesh. He has also allocated work to his ministers for preparation of the bypolls in 10 assembly constituencies.
Between 16 June and 26 July, Yogi held meetings with public representatives from the BJP of at least 12 mandals (divisions), beginning with Gorakhpur and then Kanpur, Agra, Aligarh, Azamgarh, Mirzapur, Basti, Bareilly, Moradabad, Meerut, Prayagraj, and Lucknow.
मुख्यमंत्री श्री @myogiadityanath जी महाराज से आज लखनऊ में जनपद गोण्डा के तरबगंज विधान सभा क्षेत्र के माननीय विधायक श्री प्रेम नरायन पाण्डेय जी, गौरा विधान सभा क्षेत्र के माननीय विधायक श्री प्रभात वर्मा जी, मनकापुर विधान सभा क्षेत्र के माननीय विधायक श्री रमापति शास्त्री जी और… pic.twitter.com/eQl6iSh7aS
— Yogi Adityanath Office (@myogioffice) July 23, 2024
The public representatives submitted their complaints against the bureaucracy and police as well as sought Yogi’s attention to public grievances and issues of farmers, flood management, among others.
The CM assured them of taking action as long as complaints were raised “lawfully” and that there is evidence of inappropriate behaviour by errant officials. At the same time, he exhorted MPs, MLAs, MLCs, party office-bearers from districts under these mandals to prepare for the bypolls.
The latest round of meetings were held Wednesday with public representatives from Bareilly and Moradabad mandals.
Raghavendra Sharma, MLA from Bithari Chainpur under Bareilly mandal, told ThePrint that the focus was on how to regain lost seats and to ensure direct communication with the public on ground and via social media.
“The meeting was held in a cordial environment, and the message was to improve our prospects ahead of the 2027 elections taking lessons from the recent results. Multiple topics were discussed. We have lost some (parliamentary) seats and have to strategise how to reclaim them,” he said.
“Further, we have to send a message among the people that when there was no change in the Constitution and reservation policy under the BJP, then there won’t be in the future too. The SP and the Congress created this false narrative, which we have to remove and ensure that truth resonates among the public. For this, we have to increase direct communication with the public via social media and on the ground.”
Sharma further said that the CM assured that if there were genuine complaints against errant officials and those were raised lawfully, action would be taken in such cases.
“The CM is of the view that any issues against officials have to be raised lawfully, because what makes us different from opposition parties is the fact that we are law-abiding. So, any issues raised within the ambit of law, will be taken cognizance of and such officials will be punished.”
Barkhera MLA Swami Pravaktanand said that the CM gave “good guidance” at the meeting.
“There was an attempt to establish coordination and many public issues like the stray cattle menace were discussed. I suggested that our area should get two gaushalas and the CM assured action. The region is marred with floods and attention was drawn towards ensuring relief to the public and the farmers. We have been espousing the farmers’ cause and need to continue it in future, too,” he said.
Hinting at statements of MLAs like Ramesh Mishra, Ratnakar Mishra, MLCs Devendra Pratap Singh and Ramsurat Rajbhar and ex-minister Moti Singh, another BJP MLA said that the meeting was aimed at curbing talks of groupism.
The CM, BJP’s Piparaich MLA Mahendra Pal Singh said, has been interacting with the public directly ever since he assumed the post in 2017 via janata darbars and other interfaces.
“I, too, have been meeting the public regularly between 9:30 am to 2 pm. People bring up issues like policemen abusing them, and I talk to the constable or sub inspector concerned directly. Action is taken if they have really misbehaved. But at times, a person will bring up issues like property disputes which cannot be resolved without looking at both sides. At times, people are found misleading us. The opposition has been creating a false narrative that officials don’t listen,” he said.
Asked about statements of BJP leaders like Badlapur and Mirzapur MLAs Ramesh Mishra and Ratnakar Mishra and MLC Devendra Pratap Singh targeting officials for not listening to party workers and public representatives, Singh said that at times, such statements are politically motivated.
“When one is politically motivated, and there are extra expectations behind something, how can you really serve the public? Our main agenda should be to serve the public because that’s what we have been chosen for,” he said.
‘CM honest, officials keep him in dark’
Some public representatives like MLC Ramsurat Rajbhar feel that bureaucrats keep the CM in the dark and give him wrong feedback.
Rajbhar, who was present Monday at the meeting of Azamgarh division, said that while the CM was 100 percent honest, his officials kept him in the dark.
He lamented that there have been cases in his area where revenue officials, including tehsildars, naib tehsildars, Kanungos, SDMs, have not been approving land transfer despite plaintiffs moving the court and getting favourable directions.
“I have stated the truth, and we should always do politics of truth and bring truth to fore. … I have raised this issue before the media as well, and the CM has taken cognizance,” he told ThePrint. “Baba (CM) is 100 percent honest but his officials keep him in the dark. They resort to sycophancy. I have presented the reality before with evidence.”
“Adhikari belagaam ho gaye hain lekin agar Baba aise hi dhyaan denge, to punah bhajpa ki sarkar ayegi…(Officials have gone unbridled but if the CM pays attention in this way, BJP will form the government again in 2027),” he added.
अपनी तहसील में ही निवास करें एसडीएम व तहसीलदार pic.twitter.com/3r4PxdtopT
— Yogi Adityanath Office (@myogioffice) July 25, 2024
In the latest directions Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh CM directed SDMs and tehsildars to camp in their areas of jurisdiction, and ordered the commissioners and DMs to ensure timely resolution of public grievances. He also announced surprise checks in tehsils.
Filling vacancies & bypoll focus
BJP insiders said that in order to pacify disgruntled leaders, the government would accommodate them in different boards and corporations. Lists of such names, they said, were sought from the BJP organisational and regional heads given that there are several vacancies in the scheduled caste and minorities commissions, etc and these would be forwarded to the government.
Significantly, the CM took charge of preparations of the assembly bypolls and directed three ministers to prepare a report on these constituencies, on 17 July. However, both his deputies, Keshav Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, were missing from these meetings.
A Yogi loyalist said that the chief minister was trying to send two messages in the backdrop of rumblings in the BJP that the CM’s chair was in danger.
“That he is still the CM, very much in charge and controls the state, and that he commands support of the MLAs and public representatives. However, all eyes are on whether he meets the PM in Delhi on 27 July. That will set the tone of what is in store in the near future given that the succession war between Yogi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah has to have a winner. If the party is thinking of a big change like changing the CM, it has to be done within the next few months because such a decision cannot be delayed till near the 2027 polls,” the insider told ThePrint.
Meanwhile, the CM has taken several steps to control damage caused by protests of teachers and teaching staff of primary schools, and the demolition scare among colony residents in areas falling under the Kukrail river rejuvenation project.
In a 16 July meeting with a delegation of residents from Lucknow’s Pantnagar, Indraprasthanagar and Raheemnagar, Yogi assured the representatives that the demolitions won’t be carried out on constructions with registries.
Similarly, the CM put on hold the implementation of digital attendance for two months after wide scale protests by 5.5 lakh teachers and teaching staff of primary, upper primary and Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalayas across the state.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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