UP Congress(I) MLAs charge five senior ministers with inefficiency, nepotism

With the summer heat sweeping the plains of Uttar Pradesh, a quintet of Chief Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh's colleagues in the ministry are being subjected to political heat as well. Last fortnight over 20 Congress(I) MLAs, in various memoranda addressed to the prime minister and the chief minister, charged five senior ministers with inefficiency, nepotism, and fraternising with Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, the former Union finance minister. The MLAs have charged their guns against Agriculture Minister Balram Singh Yadav, Minister of State for Home Affairs Rajinder Tripathi, Public Works Minister Jagdish Prashad, Jail Minister Ram Singh Khanna, and Transport Minister Ajit Singh Sethi.Says one memorandum signed by 10 young MLAs: "Both Tripathi and Yadav are bringing a bad name to the Government and the party by their non-performance. Moreover, their relatives and supporters are taking active part in the political activities of Bahuguna in the state." Detractors of these ministers cite the past records of both Tripathi and Yadav and their dismal performance as ministers to prove their point. Tripathi has been accused of messing up police plans to ferret out dreaded dacoits like Phoolan Devi and Malkhan Singh by his interference in routine affairs. The police had to have his approval for any major offensive against the dacoits. He even went to the extent of ordering the police not to brief the press about any major anti-dacoit operations.Accusation: In the last session of the state Assembly, five Harijan Congress (I) MLAs almost came to blows with him for transferring a Harijan police officer from eastern Uttar Pradesh. They also accused him of shielding Bahuguna's supporters in Allahabad who they claim are posing a treat to law and order. Even the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee-I (UPCC-I) parliamentary Board meeting held last fortnight in Lucknow expressed its displeasure over the worsening crime situation and the increasing number of corruption cases in the state. And Tripathi's past connections with Bahuguna have provided ample ammunition for his opponents.Interestingly, Yadav has earned the ire of his party colleagues not only for his controversial record but also for his alleged sympathy with Bahuguna. Last month, Yadav's younger brother Kamlesh Yadav was the prime force behind the successful convention of Democratic Socialist Front in Etawah district. The minister, the memorandum alleges, has been able to hush up half-a-dozen political murders in Etawah district. These were disguised as 'encounter with dacoits' by the local police. Surprisingly, when Yadav was being attacked by Lok Dal leaders for raising the procurement prices of potatoes by an additional rupee per quintal, none of the leading ruling party MLAs supported him. Instead, outside the Assembly some of them made a virulent attack on Yadav's performance.Says Mohan Singh, chief whip of the Lok Dal Legislature Party: "Over half of the Cabinet colleagues are involved in corruption cases of serious nature." But both Yadav and Tripathi dismiss these allegations as baseless and politically motivated. Says Tripathi, "I am one of the loyalists of Mrs Gandhi and the Congress(I) and there is no truth in the allegations levelled against me. I am working under the leadership of the chief minister." But even as the Bahuguna bogey is being raised as part of a larger strategy quite a large number of ruling party MLAs and workers have mixed feelings about him.New Strategy: They fear the veteran leader but at the same time feel that only he can steer the gargantuan state out of the present mess and shake the monolithic bureaucracy from its slumber. And some senior bureaucrats even send briefs to Bahuguna on the various problems confronting the state. Says a senior official of the Uttar Pradesh Government, "Only Bahuguna knows the state like the back of his palm." Bahuguna also caused a flap in Congress(I) circles when he made forays into the Lok Dal and Congress(I) strongholds in western and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Last month he visited over a dozen districts.(From left) Yadav, Tripathi, and Bahuguna: Political manoeuvresPolitical observers, however, maintain that the tirade against the so-called pro-Bahuguna and inefficient elements within the ruling party is part of a new strategy adopted by the dissidents to embarrass the chief minister. Since the ignominous ouster of Kamlapati Tripathi and Vidya Charan Shukla from the Central Cabinet, dissidents have started an indirect attack on Singh.In an unprecedented move, over 150 MLAs in a letter written to the chief minister recently, demanded the induction of Shyam LaL Bajpai, a MLA from Barabanki district and a known opponent of the chief minister into the Cabinet. In addition, over 25 MLAs, instead of supporting the Government in the Assembly, vehemently criticised the functioning of the public works, home, sugarcane and agriculture departments. Some of the MLAs privately demanded the resignations of Tripathi and Yadav for their dismal performance.Firm Measures: The chief minister seems aware of this game and is taking stern action to curb dissidence and tone up the administration. Last fortnight UPCC(I) chief Bishamber Nath Pandey issued a show cause notice to 10 Congress(I) MLAs and seven ministers. Four of the seven ministers are accused of contravening party rules about accepting invitations from industrialists by attending a dinner in honour of Union Home Minister Zail Singh who visited Lucknow last month. To counter the effect of Bahuguna's trips Pandey recently undertook a tour of western Uttar Pradesh to rejuvenate the party organisation.To woo Bahuguna'a supporters among the Muslims and the people of the hill areas, the chief minister also declared official language status for Urdu, patronised a conference of non-Muslim Urdu Writers, and announced massive development plans for the hill areas of Garhwal, Kumaon and Naini Tal. Says Dayal Krishna, minister of state for industry and power: "We are proud of our performance during the last one year and we will go to the electorate on that basis." But the squabbling MLAs and inefficient ministers will provide enough ammunition for the Opposition in the event of elections being held for five parliamentary and six Assembly seats from the state. Published By: AtMigration Published On: Feb 26, 2014 14:17 IST--- ENDS ---

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UP Congress(I) MLAs charge five senior ministers with inefficiency, nepotism

With the summer heat sweeping the plains of Uttar Pradesh, a quintet of Chief Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh's colleagues in the ministry are being subjected to political heat as well.

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