UP ministry expansion: Prajapati reinducted, Oppn cries foul

Tainted former Uttar Pradesh Mines Minister Gayatri Prajapati was today reinducted into the Akhilesh Yadav cabinet in an apparent attempt by SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to bridge the widening chasm in his family, drawing instant flak from the opposition parties.
Besides Prajapati, against whose reinduction a social activist had petitioned the Governor, three others were sworn in, while six MoS were also elevated to the cabinet rank in what is perhaps the last expansion of the Akhilesh Yadav ministry before the 2017 assembly polls.
Governor Ram Naik administered the oath of office and secrecy to Manoj Pandey, Shivakant Ojha and Ziauddin Rizvi, besides Prajapati at the Raj Bhawan here. Rizvi was not able to take oath in June when the cabinet was last expanded as he was abroad.

Three MoS (Independent Charge) Riaz Ahmed, Yasir Shah and Ravidas Mehtrotra, and Ministers of State Abhishek Mishra, Narendra Verma and Shankhlal Majhi were elevated to cabinet rank.
Raj Kishore Singh, who too was dropped along with Prajapati, was not included. Prajapati was considered close to Akhilesh's uncle and state party chief Shivpal Yadav.
Ahead of the swearing-in function, Akhilesh dropped MoS Food Lakshmikant alias Pappu Nishad.

Much to the amusement of those present at the Raj Bhawan, a beaming Prajapati sat at the feet of SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav for photo journalists.
Besides touching the feet of Mulayam before and after taking oath, he also bent down to touch the feet of Akhilesh after being sworn-in.

After the brief function, Mulayam told reporters that he had recommended Prajapati's name for re-induction and "the chief minister accepted it".
"Moreover, the backward class leader is a hardworking and loyal soldier of the party," he said.
Mulayam's cousin and Rajya Sabha member Ramgopal Yadav, who is close to Akhilesh, was conspicuous by his absence at the Raj Bhawan.
The Akhilesh ministry now comprises 32 cabinet ministers, 9 MoS (Independent charge) and 19 MoS.
This was the eighth expansion of the Akhilesh Yadav government since it assumed office in 2012. The UP council of ministers now has the maximum permissible strength of 60 ministers.

Hours after Prajapati re-joined Akhilesh's team, opposition parties reacted on expected lines with BSP, BJP and Congress ridiculing the chief minister for his "sudden change of mind".
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"By reinducting Prajapati, who was expelled recently on corruption charges, the head of the SP government has not only proved himself as a weak CM who makes U-turns but has also shown that besides dismal law and order, corruption is order of the day in UP," she said in a statement.
State BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya termed Prajapati's return to the ministry as an "open admission of corruption" by the Samajwadi Party government.

"Taking back the minister against whom the High Court has ordered CBI probe will only strengthen corruption," he said.
Prajapati's return has proved the BJP's charge that the SP government was giving patronage to the corrupt, Maurya said.
Congress was also quick to react with senior leader Sanjay Singh wondering as to how a corrupt minister, who was dropped on serious charges, has become acceptable to the chief minister suddenly.
"If he was dropped on corruption charges, how has he become acceptable to the chief minister so soon...Anyway, this was excepted of him," Singh told newspersons in Sambhal.
Prajapati was sacked by Akhilesh two weeks ago as part of the efforts by the chief minister to refurbish the image of his government before the Assembly elections.

His action, however, triggered a political crisis and his re-induction was part of a compromise formula hammered out by ruling Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to douse the flames of conflict in the Yadav clan.
Today's expansion was mired in controversy as hardly 48 hours before the swearing-in ceremony, activist Nutan Thakur petitioned the Governor against making Prajapati a minister again.
In her petition, she said Prajapati was removed as a minister on serious corruption charges after the order of Allahabad High Court for a CBI inquiry.
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Samajwadi Party activists today burst crackers and distributed sweets in Amethi after the reinduction of local MLA and former Uttar Pradesh Mines Minister Gayatri Prajapati into Akhilesh Yadav Cabinet.

Prajapati's PRO V P Upadhyay told reporters the minister will visit Amethi from September 27-29.