The Khatik letter

Khatik, minister of state for Jal Shakti in the Yogi government 2.0, had sent a two-page resignation to Union home minister Amit Shah, accusing departmental officials of disregarding him and his orders as he belonged to a Dalit caste.

The letter went viral before action could be taken. The minister who is an influential Dalit leader from Hastinapur in West UP, mentioned rampant corruption in transfers of officials and in the implementation of Namami Gange project. The allegations were largely coated with a caste brush. The letter was also sent to the governor who forwarded it to the chief minister for action.

The minister of state wrote, “Under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president JP Nadda and Union home minister Amit Shah, the BJP has formed the government in the state by taking along SCs (Scheduled Castes) and OBCs in the elections. These castes are also committed to the party as I, belonging to the Dalit community, have been appointed minister in a government headed by Yogi Adityanath, an honest leader with a clean image. But officials of the Jal Shakti department do not take cognisance of my orders as I am a state minister from Dalit community.”

Khatik further alleged that no responsibility or power was being given to him and he was facing discrimination only because he is Dalit. “While PM has respectfully brought Dalits into the party fold, the officers are insulting Dalits here in the state.”

Thereafter, the minister spoke about how his community has expectations from him and how he has their full support. While he did not target his cabinet minister Swatantra Dev Singh, who is a backward leader, the veiled attack was obviously on him. Singh is a grounded leader, completing his three-year term as state party president on JulyM 23. The party has failed to find his replacement even after he became minister.

The fallout

Khatik’s complaints were sent back to the chief minister who, in a statement, advised distribution of work to ministers of state. Incidentally, this is not the first time when a minister of state has complained of no work. In the 1990s, when the late Kalyan Singh had formed 90-member jumbo ministries, most of the ministers of state had earned the sobriquet of “no file ministers”. However, here the issue was of “neglect of a Dalit minister”.

But without getting any relief from Delhi, Khatik returned to Lucknow and met Yogi. No one knows what transpired at their meeting, but those who know Yogi insist that the chief minister conveyed his strong displeasure over the developments.

While CM nowadays is watchful of his statements, Khatik after the meeting did say, “I have raised the issues and now waiting for action.”

As a mark of protest, he stayed away from a departmental function which was presided over by the chief minister and the cabinet minister on July 22.

Khatik perhaps fails to realise that the BJP had adopted a multi-pronged strategy to win over Dalits who were looking for a political alternative after Mayawati started pursuing the politics of “sarva samaj”. A large chunk of 21% SC/ST population in the state supported the double-engine government of Yogi-Modi in the 2022 assembly elections in the state. Khatik had played a minimal role in the entire exercise. Secondly, when Dalits are ready to desert Mayawati and their own party BSP for greener pastures, Khatik would not matter for voters in the larger scheme of things.

Khatik’s use of the Dalit card failed to get him dignity that he was crying for. His cabinet minister, close to Yogi, will allot him work, no one else.

Jitin Prasada falls in line

Ahead of the 2022 assembly elections, Jitin Prasada had crossed over from the Congress to the BJP in a grand function, creating much political hype.

While experts saw in him the party’s Brahmin face, his role as star campaigner was confined to his region. Brahmins had been upset with what they claimed to be aggressive Rajput politics of the chief minister. But Brahmins, despite their grumblings, had solidified behind the BJP for various reasons. For one, the Ram temple issue shared their political choice. Second, the Brahmins had no other choice in the elections – the BSP was a losing horse and the SP remains dominated by Yadavs and Muslims.

Prasada won his assembly election and became the public works department minister. After Yogi suspended Prasada’s

officer on special duty and a set of officials in his ministry on charges of corruption, following a probe by a three-member committee, Prasada decided to remain mum but flag his grievances to Delhi. He did not issue any communiqué, but decided to make a quiet trip to Delhi to meet the central leadership to apprise them of his perspective.

However, the central leadership was too occupied to meet him. He not only returned home but also gave a conciliatory statement praising the zero-tolerance policy of the PM and CM on corruption and that action will be taken in all corruption cases.

Yogi’s authority reaffirmed

Both these incidents could potentially have created political challenges for the BJP. After all, the grievances of a Dalit minister and a leader seen as a prominent Brahmin face could upset social equations.

But the manner in which both incidents have played out have shown that Yogi Adityanath is firmly in control in UP. He is also pushing hard to project an image of honest leader, focused on governance.

In a political context where transfers are often seen as a source of corruption, the message has also gone to other ministers who were cribbing against his interference in departmental transfers. Right after the formation of his government, Yogi had not only announced an elaborate transfer policy but had also advised the departments to simply follow the merit route. By stamping his authority, the CM is having the last laugh in Lucknow.

The views expressed are personal