Power tussle between bureaucrats and UP ministers in Yogi Adityanath's second term

Uttar Pradesh minister Dinesh Khatik resigned and later said he would work for his department. The minister alleged that he was being ignored by officials as he is Dalit and alleged corruption in his department.

Uttar Pradesh minister Dinesh Khatik resigned alleging that he was sidelined by officials for being a Dalit, in a move that exposed the power tussle between bureaucrats and ministers in the state.

Dinesh Khatik, Minister of State for Jal Shakti department, sent a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah stating the officials in his department do not listen to him. A day later, he met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow and BJP chief JP Nadda in Delhi and gave a statement that he would continue to work in his department.

Even though it appears that a crisis has been averted, this is not the first time a minister in the UP government flagged similar concerns. There have been allegations of non-compliance with the transfer policy and other irregularities in many departments.

READ | UP minister Dinesh Khatik meets Yogi Adityanath after quitting. Is all okay now?

Earlier, Deputy CM Brijesh Pathak had called for a report over transfers made in his health department in his absence. He wrote a letter to Additional Chief Secretary Amit Mohan Prasad saying, " The transfer policy is in force. Many transfers have gone wrong." The matter became a cause of concern, so much so that the chief minister had to order an inquiry into the whole matter.

The report has been submitted but so far, no action has been taken against officials in the health department headed by Brijesh Pathak.

Coming to the PWD ministry, the UP government acted against five senior officials, including Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Anil Pandey, over alleged irregularities in the PWD department. Minister Jitin Prasada has claimed that action has already been taken against officials found guilty and they have been removed.