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Detractors gun for Kalyan again

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow

Nine ministers have resigned from the 95-member-strong Kalyan Singh ministry in Uttar Pradesh in the last 17 months.

The latest to do so -- Minister of State for Family Welfare Devendra Singh Bhole -- has declared a war on the chief minister.

Bhole's grouse was that Kalyan Singh did not oblige him with the release of his brother, held in a criminal case. He, however, did not vent his spleen immediately. He waited till a court of law released his brother on bail last week, when he slapped his resignation letter on the chief minister and unleashed a torrent of allegations. 'Corruption' and 'inaccessibility' headed the long list of allegations.

What seemed to have irked the minister was Kalyan Singh's 'double standards'. "When his blue-eyed member of legislative council Ajit Singh and municipal corporator Kusum Rai did the same thing at the Qaiserbagh police station, it was the police who had got the axe," he said. He was referring to the marching orders given to the upright circle inspector A K Upaddhaya who had objected to the MLC's violent ways.

Though the officer's innocence was proved, the chief minister's Principal Secretary Anurag Goel and UP Principal Home Secretary Naresh Dayal could not save him. ''This is unfair and we will get the order reversed," they had told the media the same evening, but chose to evade queries in that regard the following day, when they realised that the chief minister would not budge from his stand.

That was the first time Kalyan Singh's 'double standards' came to the fore.

The manner in which the chief minister reportedly buckled under the pressure of an alleged gangster-turned-politician and a small-time municipal corporator had caused further dents in his aura of impartiality.

A visibly embarrassed Kalyan Singh did put up a strong defence while talking to the media shortly after the drama in the assembly. "You see, I am like an open book... anybody can see... there are no skeletons in my cupboard..." He tried to convince the media that he was the last one to defend anyone indulging in unlawful acts, no matter how high and mighty he or she might be.

Though Kalyan Singh is known to have kept his personal integrity intact, the allegation of turning a blind eye to what has been going on under his nose cannot be easily ignored.

His blue-eyed municipal corporator Kusum Rai, who until yesterday was just the wife of a junior-level officer in the state information department, has acquired such prized assets and property that she has drawn the attention of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, for an open income tax inquiry.

She is known to rule the roost as far as the police is concerned. Several key police and administrative transfers have been attributed to the corporator, who is known to flaunt her proximity to the chief minister. And that remains the chief cause of dissidence against Kalyan Singh.

The 'interference' of Kalyan Singh's only son in the administration had also been grist to the detractors' mill.

Despite the allegations, the people do not seem to be very upset as Kalyan Singh is still 'cleaner' than most of his predecessors.

In the BJP too the allegations may not affect Kalyan Singh as his key adversary Kalraj Mishra, who is the main contender for the prized chair, is not in a position to talk about the chief minister's son. For he himself has been caught in a similar situation.

Allegedly neck-deep in largescale irregularities in the lucrative ministries of public works and tourism which were under him, Kalraj prefers to carry out his moves rather quietly. Most of the anti-Kalyan campaigns in the past allegedly had his tacit support.

The other alleged key detractor Lalji Tandon, the minister for housing and urban development, is less discreet and vents his ire against the chief minister more openly.

Many of Kalyan Singh's adversaries often go to him for advice and counsel, which is readily forthcoming. But, despite Tandon's rapport with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he could not get any action initiated against Kalyan Singh, whom the central leadership could not afford to propel into another (Rashtriya Janata Party president) Shankarsinh Vaghela-like situation.

Much as Misra and Tandon hate to see eye to eye with Kalyan, while putting up a façade of party unity and integrity, their hobnobbing with the discontented lot is an open secret.

In fact their grouse against Kalyan Singh has nothing to do with the latter's style of functioning. As far as they are concerned, the idea of a backward class leader occupying the UP chief minister's chair is simply unpalatable.

State BJP chief Raj Nath Singh, who was initially backing Kalyan Singh, is now upset with the chief minister's working style.

The cold war between Raj Nath Singh and Kalyan Singh came to the fore when the former sacked Lucknow BJP chief Rajendra Tiwari, who was promptly picked up by the chief minister for the Essential Commodities Corporation chairmanship.

As the dust raised by Bhole's resignation settled, talk about a signature campaign against Kalyan Singh surfaced once again. Speculation has been sparked by none other than the traditional anti-Kalyan Singh camp, which has been claiming for months that a memorandum addressed to the prime minister has already been signed by 34 MLAs.

Only the figure has been inflated now. "We have 50 signatures now," said a prominent 'anti-Kalyan club' member. "This time, it is a do-or-die battle. If the prime minister does not concede our demand for a change in the UP leadership, we will be constrained to resign."

"We'll be happy if this man is replaced," said one of the 'signatories', denying he had signed the letter. But whether Bhole's resignation will provide the necessary ammunition to the party central leadership to train their guns against Kalyan Singh is a million dollar question.

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