Radha Mohan Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader in charge of Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday dismissed reports of a rift between Chief Minister Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, The Indian Express reported.
Singh also refuted charges of a Cabinet reshuffle or a change in the chief minister. He said that Adityanath was “the most competent person to fulfil Modi’s dreams in UP”. He admitted that there were vacant posts in the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet but added that it was Adityanath’s right to fill them when he wanted to.
“The UP unit of the BJP is the strongest in the country and the Uttar Pradesh government is the most popular,” Singh claimed, adding that reports on likely changes in the party or the Cabinet were merely a “figment of imagination”.
“No expansion is going to take place now. Everyone is focused on the election of zila panchayat chairpersons. When it takes place, it will be known,” he added.
Singh had visited Governor Anandiben Patel at the Raj Bhavan in Lucknow earlier on Sunday, fuelling rumours that there may be changes in the Uttar Pradesh government. But he claimed that his visit was only a courtesy call. Singh also met state BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh and Assembly Speaker Hriday Narayan Dixit on Sunday. He called these courtesy calls too.
The senior BJP leadership met state leaders recently too to discuss the strategy ahead of Assembly polls in the state next year.
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