Prime Minister Narendra Modi had meetings with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday as well as Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda to sort out, what are said to be, several internal issues within the party and the government, including a speculated Cabinet reshuffle.
The state of play in the BJP’s U.P. unit and the party-run government seems to be more or less settled in favour of Mr. Adityanath. The meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Adityanath was for over an hour. After this, the Chief Minister met Mr. Nadda and even called on President Ram Nath Kovind.
Sources close to Mr. Adityanath said his meetings with Mr. Modi and Mr. Nadda were both “to do with governance and coming Assembly polls next year.” He was asked to “take everyone along” in both the party and the government, accommodate various interests in the party, and may expand his Council of Ministers sooner rather than later. “The poorvanchal expressway is also going to be ready for inauguration by July 31 and an invitation for the ceremony was extended to the Prime Minister. The start of ground work of the proposed Jhevar airport was also discussed,” said a source.
The proposed Cabinet reshuffle in U.P., and a bid to repair the party’s currently downward slide is also linked with a possible Cabinet reshuffle at the Centre. On Thursday, Pravin Nishad, MP from the Nishad Party and an ally of the BJP, met Mr. Shah. He was accompanied by his father, Sanjay Nishad. Apna Dal’s Anupriya Patel, also an ally of the BJP and an MP from the State, did the same.
The sources said these parties would be adjusted either in the State Council of Ministers or at the Centre. Ms Patel’s husband, Ashish, an MLC, could become a minister in the State.
Stocktaking exercise
Besides the almost daily meetings last week between Mr. Modi and Mr. Nadda, the former has had meetings with groups of three or four Union ministers in a stocktaking exercise. It is not sure if it will culminate in a Cabinet reshuffle, but certain political IOUs are yet to be fulfilled, including a ministerial berth for former Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindhia, who joined the BJP last year from the Congress, bringing with him enough MLAs from Madhya Pradesh to topple the Kamal Nath-led government. The monsoon session of Parliament, COVID-19 cases permitting, has been tentatively scheduled to start by August third week, and provides a window period for a Cabinet expansion or a reshuffle.
The second wave of the pandemic has placed governance and organisational challenges before the government and the BJP, and the last week activities point to Mr. Modi making a determined effort for a course correction.
