May 18  , 1998

His tough measures have made Kalyan Singh popular with his ministers, MLAs and the bureaucrats, but the chief minister is in no mood to relent.

By Farzand Ahmed

When Suraj Bhan arrived at Lucknow late last month to take over as the new governor of Uttar Pradesh, an innocuous incident at the Amausi Airport gave Chief Minister Kalyan Singh sleepless nights. Standing alongside Kalyan at the airport's high-security zone was dreaded mafia don Abdul Malik. Within days, state Congress General Secretary Surendra Nath Awasthi Puttu announced his party's decision to present a White Paper to the President on Kalyan's nexus with criminals, while some BJP MPs, MLAs and ministers went around predicting his removal. Suddenly, the chief minister began to feel the heat.

Last week, however, things went Kalyan's way. At the BJP National Council meet in Gandhinagar, it was he who moved the all-important political resolution. Ecstatic supporters claimed that by giving him the honour, the BJP high command had scotched all rumours about his impending removal. Public Works Department Minister Kalraj Mishra, for long suspected to be among those behind the remove-Kalyan campaign, appeared subdued on his return from Gandhinagar when he said, "There has not been and will not be any move to oust Kalyan Singh." State BJP chief Rajnath Singh too clarified that he had no ambition to replace Kalyan.

The frown that he had sported for more than three months may have disappeared from his face, but the buzz in Lucknow is that Kalyan is not entirely out of the woods. Some of his party colleagues are adopting even more hawkish postures, causing serious dent to his public image. At least two MPs have said they will quit, while half a dozen state ministers and nearly 25 MLAs have petitioned the BJP's central leadership against Kalyan continuing as chief minister. Their grievances include:

Kalyan has become too arrogant and autocratic in his behaviour.

He is inaccessible to ministers, legislators and party workers.

He has as ignored ministers in recent bureaucratic reshuffles.

Officials of key departments, including urban development, were changed suddenly without the consent of the ministers concerned.

A lady corporator, Kusum Rai, has emerged as an extra-constitutional authority because of her closeness to the chief minister.

His campaign against former chief minister Mayawati has alienated Dalits from the BJP.

Kalyan's opponents believe they have a watertight case. Some even flaunt their proximity to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to suggest that the chief minister's days may be numbered. According to them, Kalyan has been projecting a larger-than-life image ever since he assumed charge in September last year after engineering a split in the state Congress and the BSP when Mayawati refused to hand over office to him under the BJP-BSP power-sharing pact. His clout was in evidence during the government formation at the Centre, when he stonewalled even Vajpayee's efforts to enlist the support of the BSP to take the BJP-led coalition's strength past the half-way mark in Parliament.

As if that were not enough, Kalyan recently invited the wrath of several senior ministers when he posted some no-nonsense bureaucrats in their departments without their concurrence. The chief minister's aides say these postings were merely to ensure that the ministers of his jumbo-sized Cabinet played by the rule book. Last week, he initiated a move to weed out corrupt and incompetent government employees. A high-level committee headed by Chief Secretary Yogendra Narain was set up to review the performance of all state employees over 50 years of age or with 25 years of service. The exercise is to be completed by June 30, and Kalyan has made it clear that those found wanting would be compulsorily retired. Narain says these measures are aimed at reducing the size of the Government and enforcing a new work culture. But Kalyan's detractors point out these moves would antagonise trade unions, besides providing a handle to the Opposition.

Last week, there was further embarrassment in store for Kalyan when the Lucknow Police said they suspected the hand of Programme Implementation Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh behind the abduction of an elderly woman in what was essentially a landlord-tenant case. The incident sparked off a crisis as 13 ministers, mostly belonging to coalition partners, threatened to resign if Kalyan failed to take action against the police for "lowering the image of the minister". Besides, Kalyan also has to reckon with his allies' demands. Loktantrik Congress chief and Power Minister Naresh Agrawal is far from happy with the chief minister, while Jantantrik BSP (JBSP) leaders have demanded a greater say in administrative affairs. Says JBSP chief and Rural Development Minister Choudhury Narendra Singh: "Portfolios were distributed without taking us into confidence."

According to his aides, Kalyan is being painted as a villain only because of the tough measures initiated by him.

A new transfer-posting system whereby these are effected only once every year, in the month of April. This has put to an end a business that was lucrative for some ministers and officials.

Implementation of the Anti-copying Act which destroyed the financial clout of the education mafia.

By involving banks to pay the price of sugarcane, Kalyan smashed the powerful sugar lobby which forced poor farmers into distress sale.

Launching investigations into schemes started during Mayawati's tenure. It is expected to expose several officials as also some BJP leaders.

Suspension orders issued against senior civil servants and other government officials, besides ordering vigilance inquiry against more than 500 officials.

Expectedly, with so many harsh measures, the chief minister was bound to become unpopular. But unfazed by this, Kalyan claims his campaign against corruption will continue, come what may.

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