BJP’S high-level meets in UP trigger reshuffle speculation

LUCKNOW: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national vice-president Radha Mohan Singh, who is the party’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge, on Sunday held a series of meetings, including ones with UP governor Anandiben Patel, assembly speaker Hriday Narayan Dikshit and several ministers, triggering speculation about some changes in the Yogi Adityanath-led government.

The development comes days after three-day one-on-one feedback sessions that BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh held with ministers in UP.

Radha Mohan Singh described his meetings as “courtesy calls”, insisting that they were personal rather than professional interactions. But a section of party men insisted that there was more to the meetings than met the eye. They indicated that at the very least, a reshuffle in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet looked imminent.

Asked about the likely changes in an election year, Singh maintained that it was the chief minister’s prerogative and added that the BJP had bettered its performance over the last time (2015) in the panchayat elections. He said it will do even better in the assembly elections.

Like BL Santhosh earlier, who had attempted to silence the perceived disquiet against CM Adityanath, by making two tweets backing the measures taken by the chief minister to fight Covid-19, Singh, too, said Adityanath would decide the shape of cabinet expansion if it happens.

About the meetings, Singh said, “I have known the governor since she was the Gujarat chief minister, and I was the union agriculture minister. Similarly, I have known the speaker for a long time.”

Dikshit, too, said the same: “Radha Mohan ji has held several key posts in the party and the government, and we have both known each other for long. Our talks centered around ancient history and culture.”

However, some BJP leaders attempted to give a context to the developments, suggesting that the meetings were scheduled at the last moment and weren’t pre-planned.

Radha Mohan’s meetings in Lucknow coincided with BJP general secretaries in Delhi expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi for discussions on key states like UP where elections are due next year.

For the last 15 days, the political grapevine has been abuzz with possibilities that include changes in the government to “surgery” in the party’s state unit ahead of the 2022 UP polls.

State BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh backed chief minister Yogi Adityanath, saying: “Have you seen any chief minister working night and day with complete honesty?...”

He also said vacancies (possibly meaning the state organisation) would be filled.

After the death of three ministers due to Covid-19 infection since March 2020, there are seven vacancies in the government.

BJP NATIONAL VICE-PRESIDEN TRADHA MOHAN SINGH DESCRIBED HIS MEETINGS AS ‘COURTESY CALLS’