States: Uttar Pradesh: For the Time Being

India Today, April 19, 1999
April 19, 1999

UTTAR PRADESH
For the Time Being

A lukewarm central response and an aggressive Kalyan discourage dissidents.

By Subhash Mishra

When BJP dissidents in Uttar Pradesh decided to submit a memorandum to the party high command seeking the replacement of Kalyan Singh last week, they had assumed that their action would force the chief minister to go on the defensive. They were wrong. No sooner had the 19 MLAs and three MLCs returned from Delhi after petitioning the party's central leaders than Kalyan responded by upping the ante. In a classic example of the arrogance he is often accused of, Kalyan nominated his "friend" and controversial corporator Kusum Rai as the chairperson of the Social Welfare Board, a job that carries the status of a minister of state.

Not only is Rai's elevation likely to boost dissident activity in the state, it will also cause further heartburn among BJP MLAs already upset with Kalyan for "giving her extra-constitutional status". The corporator's proximity to the chief minister, besides being the talk of Lucknow, has been a major bone of contention between Kalyan and his opponents. But instead of lending an ear to their complaints, Kalyan has threatened disciplinary action against the dissidents.

The growing rift within the BJP has been partly attributed to Kalyan's "arrogance" and "inaccessibility". Senior ministers have reportedly had the mortification of waiting outside Kalyan's chambers, while Rai was allowed unlimited access.

Though the resentment among a section of the BJP has been simmering for long, matters came to a head on March 31, when Minister of State for Family Health Devendra Singh Bholey resigned from the ministry to protest against a police raid on his house and the arrest of his brother on criminal charges. This was the catalyst the dissident needed and the anti-Kalyan camp decided to meet the central leadership to formally demand Kalyan's removal. The decision was preceded by a signature campaign within the BJP Legislature Party to rally members against Kalyan. The campaign seemed to gather momentum this month as the number of dissenters swelled to 55 from 19 three months ago. However, 33 signatories returned to the Kalyan camp at the last minute and eventually on April 5 only 22 dissidents met senior BJP leaders, including party President Kushabhau Thakre, Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee and Union Home Minister L.K. Advani.

Neeraj Chaturvedi, the MLA from Kanpur city who is spearheading the campaign against Kalyan, said that he was confident of some concrete action in Uttar Pradesh once the central leaders got over the current political crisis in Delhi. The optimism, however, seems rather misplaced because, the high command, preoccupied with its own problems, gave no encouragement to the dissidents. In fact, a day after the dissidents met the BJP central leaders, Prime Minister Vajpayee ruled out any change in the state leadership in the near future. Most of the other leaders the MLAs met in Delhi too sought time to look into the matter. This has given Kalyan the breather he needed to devise his political strategy.

The dissidents, however, are confident their ranks will swell further with time. "Enough is enough. We are not going to tolerate Kalyan Singh anymore after April 15," says Chaturvedi. But the campaign against Kalyan is unlikely to get far unless the three state BJP heavy weights -- state President Rajnath Singh and party veterans Lalji Tandon and Kalraj Mishra -- lend their support. The rival camp claims to have their backing, though the trio has not unequivocally come out against Kalyan. While Rajnath Singh has maintained a studied silence on the political developments in the state, Urban Development Minister Tandon confines himself to saying he was "hopeful of central intervention once the crisis at the Centre ended". The three leaders have their own reasons for opposing Kalyan, but so far have avoided openly supporting his detractors in their efforts to dethrone him.

Most of the charges against the chief ministers are old hat: promoting a coterie within the party, sidelining partymen and taking decisions on ministries bypassing the minister. To these have been added two fresh charges: the "emergence of Kusum Rai as another power centre in the Government" and that Kalyan's son Rajbir is interfering in the working of the Government. The chief minister's supporters have dismissed the charges as mere "indiscipline" and demanded action against the dissidents. But in his first overt show of support to the dissidents, Tandon says, "If the dissenting MLAs were meeting their national leaders it would not be a case of indiscipline." Kalyan, on his part, does not seem unduly worried by the campaign or the memorandum. The reason is obvious. Of the 177 BJP MLAs in the 425-member state Assembly, Kalyan has the support of nearly 140. The allies too are with him. No wonder then that far from extending an olive branch to his opponents, Kalyan has prepared a detailed report on the alleged "misconduct and corrupt practices" by these MLAs and ministers to strengthen his case with the party high command.

The chief minister's combative mood and a lukewarm response from the central leadership to the dissidents' demand have dampened their spirits. It obviously wasn't the right time to approach the party high command. And with Kalyan threatening disciplinary action, the dissidents could well have the tables turned against them.

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