A HEART-WARMING GESTURE

UTTAR PRADESH Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath surprised everyone when he went unannounced to meet ailing party colleague and Gorakhpur MLA Radha Mohan Das Agarwal. The Chief Minister’s heart-warming gesture must have overwhelmed Mr Agarwal, who has had a turbulent relationship with Mr Adityanath in the past. Considering that the Chief Minister is known to be a man of strong likes and dislikes, his gesture to wish early recovery to the MLA, who is recovering from a fractured shoulder, is sure to promote camaraderie and bode well for Mr Agarwal.

Once a favourite of Mr Adityanath, Mr Agarwal allegedly rubbed him the wrong way over a trivial issue and invited the Chief Minister’s wrath. Thereafter, the lawmaker had a tough time retaining his Assembly seat and also missed out on a Cabinet berth despite his seniority in the party.

The last time sparks flew between the two was in May when the MLA had a spat with a woman Indian Police Service officer over alleged laxity in closure of liquor shops in his constituency.

As TV channels aired shots of the police officer crying after Mr Agarwal’s “scolding”, the Chief Minister was forced to summon him and gave him a piece of his mind. However, the CM’s gesture of visiting the home of the ailing MLA — ignoring the bitterness in their relationship — has left everyone surprised. The Chief Minister’s gesture won him many admirers and surely reduced the pain that the MLA is going through.