UP Dalit minister’s ‘resignation letter’ to Amit Shah goes viral; denies move later in the day

The 100-day celebrations of Yogi Government 2.0 were marred by a huge controversy with a Dalit minister sending a resignation letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleging that he was being sidelined just because he happened to belong to a backward community.

Dinesh Khatik, Uttar Pradesh Minister of State in Jal Shakti ministry, claimed in his letter that he was not assigned any work for 100 days. "I am resigning because I am hurt," he says in the letter.

"I was not given any importance because I am a Dalit. I have no authority as a minister. My working as a Minister of State is a waste for the Dalit community -- I am not called for any meeting and not told anything about my ministry. This is an insult of the Dalit community," Khatik wrote in his two-page letter that has since gone viral.

The letter was addressed to Amit Shah rather than Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, which in political circles was seen as Khatik's willingness to be persuaded to withdraw his resignation.

Khatik, a two-time legislator, is a prominent Dalit leader of western Uttar Pradesh and represents Hastinapur constituency of Meerut. Last year also, during Yogi 1.0 government, he had threatened to resign over police action against a trader in Meerut’s Ganganagar and the reluctance of the local police officials to act on his directions.

In his letter, without naming Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Khatik claimed that he was not assigned any work. “I am given an impression that the MoS should not expect anything more than an official car,” he wrote in his letter.

“On July 9, I enquired about transfers in the department after receiving complaints of irregularities and corruption but did not get a response despite speaking to the top officials of the government and the department. I also sought details about the transfers made in the department in 2022-23 but that was not provided to me,” Khatik wrote in his letter.

“When I sought a clarification, my phone was bluntly disconnected midway by the Principal Secretary of the department,” he added.

He also alleged corruption in the transfer of officials, saying it was a violation of Yogi’s commitment of a clean administration.

“If you want, you can verify my charges through an independent agency,” he wrote.

Later in the day, however, Khatik refused to confirm or deny whether he had resigned from the cabinet. “Koi vishay nahi hai” (There is no issue),” he told reporters in Hastinapur.

Meanwhile, Swatantra Dev Singh, who is also state BJP president said, “There is no truth that he was being neglected. We talk to each other almost daily.”