Dalit minister resigns as rift surfaces in UP ministry over transfers

Khatik also claimed that a senior bureaucrat of his department disconnected his phone when he sought details of the transfers

Alleged irregularities and corruption in transfers rocked the 100-day old Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh with minister of state for irrigation and water resources Dinesh Khatik, who hails from the dalit community, resigning from the cabinet accusing the bureaucrats of 'humiliating' him as he was a dalit.

Two others, including deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak, who also is minister for health, and PWD minister Jitin Prasada have also expressed their displeasure over large scale transfers in their respective departments without taking them into confidence.

Khatik, in his letter to union home minister and former BJP national president Amit Shah, said that money had changed hands in transfers in his department. ''Money has been paid in the transfers in my department.....the bureaucrats do not listen to me as I hail from dalit community,'' he said.

''It is 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, who was an MLA from Hastinapur assembly seat in Meerut district, said in his letter.

He also claimed that a senior bureaucrat of his department disconnected his phone when he sought details of the transfers. ''No action is taken on my letters,'' he added. Incidentally senior BJP leader Swatantra Deo Singh is the senior minister of the department. Khatik had reportedly left for Delhi to meet Amit Shah. On being queried Singh said that he had no knowledge about Khatik's resignation.

According to the sources, Brijesh Pathak was also sulking after hundreds of doctors and other employees in the health department were transferred in the past few days without his knowledge. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered a probe into the transfers following complaints of irregularities and corruption.

Sources said that Prasada was also 'upset' after Adityanath, a few days back, shunted out his OSD Anil Pandey and suspended five senior officials following complaints of irregularities in transfers in the PWD department. Prasada was likely to meet the senior BJP leaders in Delhi to register his protest.

Adityanath had, a few days back, asked the senior ministers to allocate work to their juniors and also consult them on important matters pertaining to the departments.