No desire of becoming minister again: Bishan Singh Chuphal

Disgruntled BJP leader Bishan Singh Chuphal on Thursday said he has no desire to become a minister again but wants his party to come to power again in the 2022 Uttarakhand Assembly polls.

Chuphal, who met BJP president JP Nadda in New Delhi on Wednesday evening, said he had apprised the party leadership of how development was being stalled by officials in his assembly constituency, Didihat.

He said no development took place in his constituency for the last three years.

However, he refused to comment on speculation about a change of guard in the state, saying all he wanted was that his party should come to power, strongly, once again in 2022.

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had recently indicated that the vacancies in state cabinet will soon be filled, sparking competition among the MLAs for the berths. There are three vacancies in the state cabinet at present.

Chuphal said he does not want a cabinet berth any more as he has already been a minister in the past, has headed the state unit of the party, besides being an MLA several times.

"Being a minister is nothing for me any more. I have been the Pradesh BJP president, a five-time MLA, a minister in the past and have been working for the party for years. Becoming a minister would have meant something in 2017 when the party came to power in the state, not any more," he said.

Amid reports of Chuphal meeting Nadda in Delhi, the chief minister spoke to Union minister Amit Shah on the phone late on Wednesday evening to enquire about his health and also talked about Chuphal's visit to the national capital, sources said.

On this, Pradesh BJP's chief spokesman Munna Singh Chauhan said Chuphal is a senior party leader who has headed the Pradesh BJP. "It is normal for any party worker to go to the leadership with their problems," he said.