Dinesh Khatik meets JP Nadda and Yogi Adityanath; to continue in government

Lucknow: UP's junior Jalshakti minister Dinesh Khatik on Thursday met chief minister Yogi Adityanath, after a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda in Delhi overnight. He said he was assured that action would be taken on issues he raised and said that he had decided to continue in the government. Khatik had recently alleged he was humiliated and wanted to resign.

"He was asked to abide by the party's decision on issues he raised and to resolve them through dialogue," a person aware of discussions with Nadda said.

However, recurring allegations of 'government officials slighting public representatives' continued on Thursday. Safipur MLA Bamba Law Diwakar in a letter to the Unnao district magistrate alleged an officer in the power distribution department used unparliamentary language against him when he tried to raise the issue of a transformer collapse that caused a blackout.


Diwakar, also a Dalit, said the officer violated his rights and should be transferred and disciplinary action initiated against him. BJP ally Sanjay Nishad, meanwhile, alleged some officers were "loyal to the hand, elephant and cycle" (symbols of Congress, BSP and SP) and inconvenienced public representatives. Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya told the media that disciplinary action would be taken against officials found guilty of wrongdoing.

After meeting the CM, Khatik told journalists: "I kept my issues in front of the CM and action will be taken. Government is working under the CM's leadership, whose blessings we have. The CM has a zero tolerance policy towards corruption and we will also continue to work."

Khatik had on Tuesday sent a resignation letter to Union home minister Amit Shah accusing officers of not paying heed to his instructions as he was a Dalit. The minister alleged rampant corruption in his department related to transfer postings and implementation of the Centre's Namami Gange plan.