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  India   Akhilesh Yadav reinducts 3 sacked ministers

Akhilesh Yadav reinducts 3 sacked ministers

Published : Sep 27, 2016, 7:13 am IST
Updated : Sep 27, 2016, 7:13 am IST

In his eighth Cabinet reshuffle on Monday, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav amply revealed the political, electoral and even family compulsions he is facing on the eve of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly el

Gayatri Prajapati taking blessing from Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav after taking oath as cabinet minister at Governor house.PTI
 Gayatri Prajapati taking blessing from Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav after taking oath as cabinet minister at Governor house.PTI

In his eighth Cabinet reshuffle on Monday, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav amply revealed the political, electoral and even family compulsions he is facing on the eve of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

The chief minister reinducted three ministers he had dismissed earlier and promoted six ministers of state to Cabinet rank. One minister, Pappu Nishad, was also dismissed on Monday. The ministers were sworn in by governor Ram Naik at Raj Bhavan on Monday.

It may be recalled that controversial minister Gayatri Prajapati was sacked along with another minister, Raj Kishore Singh, on September 12, which had set off a chain reaction in the Yadav clan that led to a public display of anger and resentment among the leaders.

Gayatri Prajapati, who was removed on charges of corruption, is said to be close to SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav’s younger son Prateek Yadav, and it was family pressure that brought Gayatri Prajapati back into the Cabinet.

The compulsion to reinduct Gayatri Prajapati was clear when the chief minister rushed to Raj Bhavan Sunday night after social activist Nutan Thakur met the governor and apprised him of the corruption charges against Mr Prajapati.

Talking to reporters after the swearing-in ceremony, SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav said: “I did recommend the name of Gayatri Prajapati and I am glad the chief minister accepted my request. He is a hardworking and loyal party worker and comes from a most backward caste.”

Two other ministers, who were earlier dismissed by the CM and were sworn in again Monday, are Shivakant Ojha and Manoj Pandey. Shivakant Ojha was sacked in October last year while Manoj Pandey was dropped in June this year.

Sources said the two were brought back with an eye on brahmin votes as the Bahujan Samaj Party had satrted a fresh campaign to woo brahmins and was using the dismissal of these leaders as a weapon against the SP.

Ziauddin Rizvi, whose name was announced earlier in June but could not be sworn in as he was on Haj, was also sworn in as a Cabinet minister on Monday. Two other ministers of state have been promoted to Cabinet rank — Yasser Shah and Haji Riyaz Ahmad. This was apparently done with an eye on Muslim votes.

The other ministers promoted to Cabinet rank are Ravidas Mehrotra, Shankhlal Manjhi, Narendra Varma and Abhishek Misra, who is considered close to the chief minister.

The dismissal of Pappu Nishad has been compensated by the elevation of Shankhlal Manjhi as both belong to the same community.

More than the changes, the reshuffle was significant as the three Yadav leaders — Mulayam Singh, Shivpal Singh and Akhilesh Yadav — were present together after the recent strife within the family. The Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh criticised the chief minister for taking back the dismissed ministers.

BSP president Mayawati termed Akhilesh Yadav as a “U-turn chief minister” who lacked the courage to take decisions on his own. She said that the inclusion of Mr Prajapati in the government was an example of the Samajwadi Party’s true character.

UP Congress media cell chief Satyadev Tripathi said by taking back ministers like Gayatri Prajapati, the CM had shown his tacit support for corruption and loot.

BJP legislature party leader Suresh Khanna said that Akhilesh Yadav owed an explanation to the people on his decision to first sack the ministers and then take them back. “The people want to know on what charges were these ministers dismissed and what were the compulsions that made the CM take them back”, he said in a statement.

Location: India, Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow