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| May 29, 2000 | ||
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| UTTAR
PRADESH Pack-Up Time The BJP leadership seems to have veered around to replacing the chief minister as a revolt brews in the state unit back to where it was six months ago By Subhash Mishra
After spending the better part of the day at the picnic spot, Gupta flew to Delhi in the evening, his second appearance before the party president within 10 days. He was summoned earlier to explain the large-scale cross-voting by BJP MLAs, which resulted in the defeat of party candidate Sunil Shastri in the Legislative Council elections. For Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee the defeat of the party candidate was an emotional issue as Sunil happens to be the son of late prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. The party and the national leadership might be concerned over the pathetic state of affairs of the organisation and the government in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, but Gupta is least bothered despite facing a revolt by a section of the MLAs and ministers. On May 11, as the chief minister entered the Assembly, more than 70 MLAs and some ministers gheraoed the septuagenarian Gupta and started shouting slogans against him for running a "kamjor, kaamchor aur bhrasht sarkar (weak, inefficient and corrupt government)". The rebel MLAs and ministers lamented that their demands and grievances were not being addressed as Gupta was running the state through an insensitive bureaucracy. "The bureaucracy has overpowered the chief minister," commented BJP legislator Bharat Singh. "Ram Prakash Gupta is worse than Kalyan Singh," chorused other party MLAs. Minister of State for Power Vivek Kumar Singh, a perpetual Gupta-baiter belonging to the Loktantrik Congress Party, a BJP ally, does not hesitate in labelling Gupta as "weak and inefficient". In fact, the heckling of the chief minister by his own MLAs and ministers stunned even the opposition members. Among the rebels' list of demands was the removal of the state director-general of police, principal home secretary and several other officers. Though unheard of in the past, open criticism of the chief minister by his own partymen has become routine in the state capital. And if anyone is to be blamed for his pitiable image, it is Gupta himself. When he took over the reins from Kalyan last November, he announced that transfers and postings of government officials in the districts would be made on the recommendations of local MLAs. It was Gupta's way of placating those party legislators who had fought a pitched battle against Kalyan. But the please-all policy has proved to be a disaster and has boomeranged on Gupta. Often, the transfer tussles became a farcical game of musical chairs. Two MLAs get an sp transferred from their district. The other MLAs of the district are annoyed because they favour that particular SP. So Gupta found himself sandwiched between conflicting interests as officials got transferred back and forth. There are dozens of instances of transfers and postings being effected purely on political grounds. The blatant violation of the administrative parameters for transfers, postings and promotions provoked senior IPS officer M.C. Diwedi to protest against his supersession three times. All this has resulted in two things: one, law and order has deteriorated alarmingly because officials enjoying political patronage serve the interests of their godfathers and ignore the problems of the public and, two, direct transfers and postings by the chief minister without consulting senior officers has left many of them demoralised. The obvious fallout: massacres and murders have become the order of the day, and a bureaucracy caught in a cleft stick has resulted in the state grinding to a standstill. State police chief Shri Ram Arun finds himself in an unenviable position. He knows that he is the captain of a team that is being remote-controlled by BJP leaders. Frustrated with the political transfers and postings, the DGP recently remarked, "Jiska khoonta majboot hai use kahe ka darr (the officer who has strong political connections does not fear anyone, even if he is committing blunders)". Gupta has proved ineffective not only administratively, but also politically. He was brought into the mainstream after being in the political wilderness for nearly two decades. Yet, all his experience and maturity has failed to quell the unrest caused by his opponents who want him replaced. Instead of a strong think tank or a close group of friends who can counter such threats, Gupta depends on his dozen OSDs who are rooted in the RSS but have failed to deliver the goods. "Despite having a battery of such non-cadre officers, the Gupta Government remains faceless, nameless and directionless," claims a senior minister. In the name of supporters within the party, Gupta has three friends -- Finance Minister Harish Chandra Srivastava, also a septuagenarian, and Ganga Bux Singh and Rajendra Gupta, who are both seen as deadwood in the party. At the same time, Ram Prakash Gupta, a "weak" commander, has to face manoeuvrings of party heavyweights like Kalraj Mishra and Lalji Tandon in Lucknow and Union Minister for Surface Transport Rajnath Singh in Delhi. Mishra, a perennial dissident will remain restless until he is made chief minister, while Tandon has the backing of the prime minister. With virtually no control over the Government or in the party organisation, cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha and council elections was a foregone conclusion. Having made his entry into the House through the backdoor by getting himself elected to the Legislative Council, Gupta lacks the moral authority to control the MLAs. Partymen are aware that Gupta is unlikely to lead them in the next elections and would soon be out after doing his job of a "night-watchman". "Non-performance of the Gupta Government is spoiling the image of the prime minister in Uttar Pradesh," observes a BJP functionary, adding that it is for this reason that Gupta has been served a notice by the party high command to pack up at the earliest. The central leadership has convened a high-level meeting in Delhi to first sort out the issue of the state party chief. Om Prakash Singh still remains a stop-gap arrangement after the departure of Rajnath Singh to the Centre. The party is seriously considering asking Singh, a backward leader, to give up his ministerial portfolio and get himself elected as full-time state president. If he does not agree, Mishra, who has handled the state unit successfully in the past, may be asked to take over. Once the issue of electing the state party chief is settled, the search for Gupta's replacement will not only become easier but the party high command will have no problem in effecting it. Gupta too knows his days in office are numbered. It was perhaps for this reason that he got the session of the Assembly advanced from May 26 to May 17. Gupta had called a meeting of the BJP Legislature Party on May 15, but after meeting Party President Kushabhau Thakre in Delhi he cancelled it to avoid any direct confrontation with his MLAs. When he finally did call a meeting of party MLAs on May 17, the last day of the Assembly session, only 50 turned up and even they vented their ire at their own Government. As a senior state BJP minister put it: "Ram Prakash Gupta who is the seniormost leader in the party and like a tall palm tree, has neither delivered the fruits nor provided shadow to the party MLAs." Clearly, in Uttar Pradesh, the situation is the same as was six months ago, when MLAs were gunning for Kalyan Singh.
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On
May 14, when the whole state was agog with rumours of his resignation,
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Ram Prakash Gupta was relaxing on a swing
with his wife and grandchildren in the lush green Kukrail picnic spot on
the outskirts of Lucknow. This despite having received summons from Delhi
to come and explain to the party high command why there was growing unrest
among BJP legislators and a section of ministers against his style of
functioning.