Lucknow-Delhi tussle over posting of Uttar Pradesh officials
The expected bureaucratic reshuffle is still awaited in Uttar Pradesh, say observers, because both Delhi and the Yogi have their own list of officials for key positions
First day, first show
On Wednesday, the second day of Navratri, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stepped into the official residence of the chief minister at 5, Kalidas Marg, Lucknow at the auspicious hour of 12.10 pm. He had earlier insisted on being sworn in at 2.15 pm on March 19. Priests from Allahabad were requisitioned to complete formalities of ‘Griha Pravesh’ and propitiate the gods. Soon after he had been sworn in, the residence was ‘purified’ by priests from Gorakhpur. The residence has also undergone changes. Soft sofas and beds have been replaced by cots, say reports in the media, and crockery of bone china have been replaced with plates and glasses made of brass or bronze. At the time of reporting, people were waiting for a party the Yogi is hosting in the evening, offering him an opportunity to showcase the new, austere lifestyle in the CM’s residence. The grapevine claimed the guests would be served fruit and possibly asked to sit on the floor. Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev became the first guest to visit the Yogi at noon though, the visit lasting four hours.
Modi-Yogi tussle?
The bureaucratic grapevine in Lucknow seems to confirm that there is a tussle going on between the PMO and the Yogi. While the PMO or more specifically the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Nripendra Mishra, a retired IAS officer from the UP cadre, has his own list of officials in key positions, the Yogi is said to have a list of his own. The tussle is said to be the reason why there has been no reshuffle in the top brass of the police and civil administration even 10 days after Yogi was sworn in.
Celebrity barber
Ramanand, a barber living in Lucknow for the past 35 years, was called by the CM’s office to give him a shave. In a sign of the times we live in, his neighbours gathered to congratulate him. His photograph was shared on social media. People started arriving to take selfies with him while crew from local TV channels lined up for an interview with him. Ramanand himself was not surprisingly overwhelmed. He had touched the Yogi’s feet and sought his blessings before starting on his work. It took him 25 minutes, he recalls. And though his fees was ₹50, he did not ask for it. Presumably nobody offered to pay him either. But the barber is not complaining. His clientele has gone up. People now shake his hands. Some arrive with their wives and engage in small talk. And as the CM’s barber, he hopes for ‘Acche Din’.
Playwright at work
If Dainik Jagran (remember the newspaper which put out an alleged exit poll during the election predicting a landslide victory for BJP?) is to be believed, a Muslim playwright from Gorakhpur has started writing a play on the life of the Yogi, his journey from a Sanyasi to the chief minister’s chair. Not surprisingly, it would highlight the ‘softer’ and the ‘more sensible’ side of the Yogi, he told the newspaper. The Yogi, he said, has a large heart and is ‘kind’ to everyone. It would take him six months to complete writing the script. And then he would submit it for the CM’s approval. Once cleared, he hopes to stage the play across the state.
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