Khattar says won't quit, Yogi opts for easy way to enter UP legislature

Both the BJP CMs recently got flak for deaths in their states

After his meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah, embattled Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday ruled out his resignation. 

The party also announced that Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, and his two deputies, would not be contesting a direct election to enter the UP legislature, but would fight the elections to the state's legislative council.

Only seven of the 31 state legislatures have legislative councils. UP is one of these seven states.

Adityanath, whose government has come under criticism after the deaths of about 70 children in a hospital in his Lok Sabha constituency of Gorakhpur, and Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, are currently not members of either of the Houses of the UP legislature. According to rules, ministers need to become members of either of the two Houses, the legislative assembly or the legislative council, within six months of being sworn in. The three took oath of office on March 19, and the six months expire on September 18.

Adityanath is a Lok Sabha member from Gorakhpur, while Deputy CM Maurya is a Lok Sabha member from Phoolpur. Once elected as MLCs (members of legislative council), the two will need to quit their Lok Sabha seats. With the two slated to vacate their seats, by-polls would need to be held for Gorakhpur and Phoolpur Lok Sabha seats. Until a month ago, speculation was rife that Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati might contest the Phoolpur Lok Sabha by-poll as the common candidate of a joint Opposition.

A by-poll is also due for the Ajmer Lok Sabha seat in Rajasthan, after sitting MP Sanwar Lal Jat died on August 9. Rajasthan state unit president of the Congress party Sachin Pilot had represented the seat in 2009, but lost in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Several of the Opposition parties are of the view that they should come together to field common candidates in these three seats. Opposition leaders also want to campaign jointly.

In another political development, the Raju Shetti-led Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana walked out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre. Shetti has criticised the agrarian policies of the government and has been associated with the recent farmer protests. Shetti is a Lok Sabha member from Maharashtra.

In the morning, Haryana CM Khattar met the BJP chief. Khattar and his government’s handling of the violence in Panchkula that left 38 dead, triggered after Dera Sacha Sauda chief’s conviction for rape by a CBI court, was criticised by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. After the meeting, Khattar said there would not be any change in the leadership in Haryana. He said his government had acted with "restraint" as its first target was to ensure that the self-styled godman appeared before the court in Panchkula in Haryana.

Justifying his government's action, Khattar said had something happened before the controversial sect head appeared before the special CBI court on August 25, Ram Rahim might have used that as an "excuse" for not turning up in court. "We acted with restraint. We achieved our aim.”

Asked about the demand for his resignation, he shot back, "Anybody can say anything... We are satisfied with our work. Whatever we did was right. There will be no change." 

To a question on his party courting the Dera head for political support, Khattar said political parties sought everyone's cooperation. "But there is never a condition for such support that somebody breaks the law. Nobody is above the law," he said, claiming that his government had no deal with the Dera chief, as was being alleged. He also rejected reports of "VIP treatment" given to the Dera head after he was convicted, saying he was temporarily put up in a guest house as arrangements were being made in the jail. Convicted of raping two of his women followers, the Dera chief was on Monday sentenced to 20 years in jail.

The BJP said UP CM Adityanath, and his two deputies, Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, will contest Legislative Council by-elections. A BJP statement said its central election committee had also picked Swatantra Dev Singh and Mohsin Raza, both ministers in the state government, as party candidates for the elections. Given the BJP's numbers in the UP Assembly and the electoral college that votes to elect MLCs, all five are certain to win.