In Poll-Bound UP, Ministers Upset Babus Have More Say Under Yogi

As Uttar Pradesh is headed for polls in early 2027, chief minister Yogi Adityanath continues to face problems from his ministers, who are very upset with the bureaucracy, which remains loyal to Yogi. Senior BJP leaders say there have been several instances of differences between ministers and bureaucrats over the past three years. During Yogi’s second term in July 2022, deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak wrote to the then Additional Chief Secretary, Medical and Health, Amit Mohan Prasad and expressed his displeasure over the transfer of doctors in the department. The transfers took place while Pathak was out of the state. Since then, several ministers have written letters expressing their dissatisfaction with government officers. Many of these letters have later surfaced on social media and gone viral. The latest is Panchayati Raj Minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, who has accused senior officers in his department of ‘non-cooperation’ and sought their removal. Rajbhar has written to Yogi, alleging negligence in his own department. He accused Principal Secretary Anil Kumar and Director Amit Kumar Singh of failing to implement government decisions properly. Last year in July, Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Nandi made serious allegations against officers, accusing them of ignoring government policies, being negligent, not following ministerial instructions and favouring certain individuals.