It will be a crown of thorns — Gupta

“I was asked by the Prime Minister to attend a meeting at the PM’s house at 8.30 p.m. and I am leaving for that,” said Ram Prakash Gupta, a septuagenarian, who will be the next Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

Gupta had been deputy Chief Minister in the 1977 government, two-time MLA and MLC and was at present holding the post of vice-chairman, state planning commission, a Cabinet rank minister’s post.

Reacting to his future role as administrator of the State, Gupta said, “It will be a crown of thorns” but expressed the belief that with the support of party leaders and allies, there would be a unified effort to put the State on theroad to development.

A shy and moderate Gupta, who is not even known by young MLAs of the party, is preparing to assume the command of this sprawling state at a juncture when the party is divided on caste lines and marred with groupism and allies are ready to put pressure on the Chief Minister.

Among the first to meet him after his selection for the Chief Minister’s post were LCP leaders Amar Mani Tripathi and Fateh Bahadur Singh, both ministers. “We welcome the BJP’s decision and hope that there would be a constructive approach to all issues under the new leadership. We hope that stability will return to the State after long months of uncertainty which virtually brought the State to a standstill,” they told The Indian Express soon after extending greetings to the CM-designate.

“I hope there will be no problems from the allies. Their rights will be secured. I have the support of all, including the allies, and that is my strength,” said Gupta. To the outgoing Chief Minister, Gupta said: “KalyanSinghji is our leader and I will sit on the chair only when he will direct me.”

The CM designate who was almost in political exile for the last one decade, termed the performance of the BJP at the recent Lok Sabha elections as a tragic one and blamed the selection of candidates for the rout. He contested his last election in 1989 from Lucknow central but could not win and was denied a ticket in 1996 from the same segment. But he has given strong signals that he knows the nerve of the state and would attempt to remove the problems.“There is an economic crunch but this is common all over the country. This is not as grave as is being projected. It is all a game of statistics,” he pointed out. He also hoped that groupism in the BJP might end now.

“The differences within the party are between the individuals and the party as a whole is not divided. I will talk to all the people and run the government with their support,” he pointed out, in what is an entirely opposite approach of Kalyan Singh who wascharged with being autocratic in functioning and incommunicado to the allies and even party workers.

Another shift from Kalyan’s approach is that of leaving every controversial thing to the party high command at the Centre. “The decision rests with the party high command,” he replied when reminded that he would be heading a jumbo ministry and if there would be an attempt from his side for its pruning.

The opposition leaders, however, termed the move of the BJP’s central leadership to check further damage.“Anyone from the trio of Lalji Tandon, Kalraj Mishra and Rajnath Singh for the post would have been dangerous for the party. But none can save the State from going to polls in March because the government will collpase soon,” commented Ram Sharan Das, State Samajwadi Party chief. Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tiwari said, “The BJP has tried to give the CM’s post to a non-controversial leader. But the controversy starts from the chair and Gupta will also not be able to check it.”