Kalyan in his labyrinth

Kalyan’s predicament is sad. He sees his untiring efforts to bring the party to its present political status in the state and his unquestionable integrity are being washed away in the growing dissent. The result of the increasing factionalism: a decline in the popularity of the party.

But neither the detractors nor Kalyan himself are realising the damage they are doing to the party in washing their linen in public. Kalyan is unwilling to accept that many of his decisions and his own behaviour with the partymen are gradually taking him to a point of no return. He pretends to ignore the growing dissidence within the party and continues to act in his own style, no matter what the others are saying.

He elevated corporator Kusum Rai, whose proximity to the Chief Minister is now an open secret, to the post of Chairperson of Social Welfare Board. He unceremoniously removed the city chief of the BJP because he was close to the rebel trio of Kalraj Mishra, Lalji Tandon and Rajnath Singh. He holds public meetings to which none of these leaders are invited. And when there are protesting voices, Kalyan chooses not to listen to them.

Kusum Rai was awarded the coveted post amid a stiff opposition from women workers of the party who also lodged a complaint with the central leadership but could not get even a patient hearing because they were preoccupied in solving the crisis at the Centre. “This had never happened in the BJP. Such blatant favouritism despite protest from all corners is something unheard in the BJP, the party known for its cohesiveness and discipline,” said Sadhna Shukla, a party worker, who was among the many protested against Rai’s appointment to the state BJP chief Rajnath Singh.

“I am helpless and you all are aware of this fact,” Rajnath Singh told the seething women workers. “If you are helpless despite being our guardian, where should we go for help?,” they asked him.

Dissident activities against Kalyan are growing by the day day. But Kalyan does not care. “If a handful of legislators at a secret place can decide that leader of the party should be changed, then no state can have the tenure of a particular CM for more than a few months,” Kalyan told the Press when he was reminded of the growing resentment among his party MLAs.

“We will not sit idle till the party leadership decide in our favour. Call the BJP Legislature Party meeting and get views of members on governance of Kalyan Singh and you will know the truth,” said Neeraj Chaturvedi, one of the rebels. Kalyan’s detractors claimed that their strength is rising and at present have a support of 55 to 60 MLAs who were ready to make their views on Kalyan public.

Senior party leaders like Lalji Tandon and Kalraj Mishra have alleged that their family members were getting threatening calls should they did not withdraw themselves from “Oust Kalyan Campaign”. Though not much credence is being given to their allegations, it indicates the level to which politics has stooped in UP.

Kalyan tried to talk to the rebels to end the ongoing game of mudslinging. But the detractors have decided not to give in. “We have decided not to meet the CM either individually or collectively,” said Surjeet Singh Dang, former minister and an active member of the “Save BJP” campaign.

Kalyan talked to Kalraj Mishra and Lalji Tandon for nearly an hour in two separate meetings at his residence and tried to settle the issue with the state party chief Rajnath Singh during his recent sojourn in New Delhi but the meeting could not be arranged. The number of dissidents has gone up and they are ready to move in for the kill, but in the battle they have forgotten the importance of Kalyan Singh for the party in UP, especially in an election year. Kalyan undoubtedly is the only leader in the state BJP who has a mass appeal and can win over the electorate.

“No one can match the administrative acumen and the mass appeal of Kalyan Singh. The leaders opposing him have grossly misjudged themselves and are considering that they can be among the alternatives,”" said Gopal Awasthi, a senior party leader. However, he cautions that Kalyan has to act with an open vision as he did in his first stint as Chief Minister.

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