'Man of Letters' Akhilesh keeps Modi busy with snail mails!

UP CM has written as many as 80 letter to the PM since the latter became the PM in May 2014

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who minces no words in attacking the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, has also been exhibiting undying zeal in writing direct letters to the Prime Minister on all and sundry matters.

The UP CM has literally become a 'man of letters', having written about 80 letters to Modi since the latter became the PM in May 2014.

While, most letters pertain to issues of development, such as energy, coal seeking aid, he has also written letters on issues such as education, Niti Aayog, agriculture, taxes share, highways etc.

Not all letters, however, are critical of the Centre. In his recent letter, he commended the Modi government for its role in setting up of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

He noted the new banks would provide easy and cheap credit to the states as well, apart from the federal government. Through his letter, he has not only also sought some clarifications regarding the interest rates of the new banks, but offered his suggestions as well for making the new financial bodies more effective.

In his other letter written last week, he sought at least Rs 1,500 crore per annum for the proper implantation of the National Drinking Water Mission in UP.

Yadav's predecessor Mayawati (2007-12) also wrote letters to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over various issues, however, the frequency of her letters were far and few between compared to her younger successor.

In fact, the frequency of Yadav's letters to Modi has increased after the May 2014 Lok Sabha poll defeat of the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) in UP, wherein Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 71 seats of the total 80 seats in the state. SP could win only 5 seats.

"These letters serve two purposes. It not only draws attention of the Centre towards vital and topical issues, it also gives a message to the political constituency about the activeness of the dispensation in raising issues of public interests," political analyst Sudhir Panwar told Business Standard.