Cabinet churn soon: Sack fear stalks state ministers

LUCKNOW: With a cabinet reshuffle being almost a certainty now, corridors of power are abuzz with speculations over names of the ministers who might face the axe for their less than impressive performance and causing embarrassment to government and party.
The reshuffle assumes significant importance as 2019 general elections are drawing closer and since a lot would depend on the image and performance of the state government for the party to repeat its 2014 performance.
The talk of reshuffle is, however, giving sleepless nights to some ministers who hogged headlines for reasons not worth hailing.
Among those losing sleep, is Swami Prasad Maurya who defied party and government line and praised Jinnah in AMU portrait row. Maurya, who had defected from BSP before 2017 assembly elections, had once even praised Mayawati government by claiming that officers were more sensitive and responsive then.
Minister and ally Om Prakash Rajbhar has already dared BJP to remove him and snap alliance with his party, SBSP, by saying he would continue to criticize the government for neglecting the rights of Dalits and OBCs.
Anupama Jaiswal, who holds the basic education portfolio is another minister whose name is doing the rounds.
The government faced criticism after Jaiswal failed to ensure distribution of sweaters to students last winters.
And when shoes, socks and bags were given they got torn within four months. When the high court enquired about the poor quality supply, the government promised to redistribute the kit.
Earlier, minister for law and justice Brijesh Pathak brought ridicule when the list of government counsels was found having names of lawyers having allegiance to SP and BSP. After much hue and cry by BJP leaders, the list was withdrawn and resent.
The high court still returned it pointing out lot of irregularities in it. When asked, Pathak plainly reasoned, “List humse bina poochhe banayee gayee thi. (The list was prepared without consulting me).”
Though deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya’s clout and position in the party and government has always been seen as a threat to CM Yogi Adityanath, the lucrative PWD portfolio he holds failed to meet Yogi’s ambitious goals of making all roads pothole-free by June 2017.
The Varanasi tragedy and questions being raised on the appointment of Rajan Mittal as UPSBCL MD have done no good to Maurya’s image but it will not be easy for the party high command to change his portfolio.