A brewing crisis in the Uttar Pradesh government following the resignation of minister of state for irrigation and water resources Dinesh Khatik, who cited “humiliation and “corruption” in transfers, was diffused after he met chief minister Yogi Adityanat with his senior minister Swantara Deo Singh on Thursday. The resignation was embarrassing for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party because Khatik is a prominent leader from the Dalit community, and his resignation did not do well for the party’s image.
“I have put forth my views before the CM ...I will continue to work under his guidance,” Khatik said a day after sending his resignation letter to union home minister Amit Shah. In the letter he had alleged that money had changed hands in large-scale transfers in his department, and that the bureaucrats did not respect him because he was a Dalit.
Khatik had earlier met with BJP national president J P Nadda, and had reportedly asked to have his grievances presented in the party forum, rather than going public.
In his letter to Shah, Khatik said that it was “useless for me to continue to work, as there is no respect for a Dalit minister of state, and so I am resigning from my post.” Khatik is an MLA from the Hastinapur assembly seat in Meerut district.
Two others—deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak, who is also the state minister for health, and PWD minister Jitin Prasada—also expressed their displeasure over large-scale transfers in their respective departments without taking them into confidence.
Though Khatik was placated, and was likely to rescind his resignation, the political development left Adityanath and the saffron party red-faced. It was for the first time a minister had chosen to by-pass Adityanath and shoot his resignation letter to central leadership, which contained serious allegations against the state government.
Alleged corruption and irregularities in the transfers in several departments in the past few days, without their knowledge, rattled several ministers.
Sources said that Prasada was “upset” after Adityanath, a few days ago, shunted the former’s officer on special duty Anil Pandey, and suspended five senior officials following complaints of irregularities in transfers within the PWD department.