‘Mayawati is within her right to transfer officials’

Since I’m already in charge of party affairs in Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh, I have enough on my plate. I refused to become a member of the committee because it was difficult for me to take on more work. Members of the committee should include those in government.

Are you happy with your appointment as the pointperson for party affairs in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal by the party high command?

I am thankful to the party high command for expressing faith in my organisational skills. But for me, posts hardly matter. As a dedicated party worker, I am prepared to work even as chief of the party’s district unit.

What do your plans include?

In June, I will tour UP and Uttaranchal and try and remove hurdles in strengthening the party’s base. New plans are being chalked out — there is a need to properly train the party workers. The first priority is to make the party organisation responsible to society.

State party chief Kalraj Mishra has been quoted as saying that the post of party affairs in-charge of UP and Uttaranchal has not helped in elevating Rajnath Singh.

In the BJP, no one is senior or junior. Everyone performs his or her duty according to his or her ability. I prefer to work as a colleague.

You were initially against the formation of a coalition government with the Bahujan Samaj Party in the state.

I was opposed to the coalition government because most of the party workers and leaders were against it. But after the government has been formed following the Central Parliamentary Board’s decision, it is now our duty to see that the government completes its full term. On May 17, when Mayawati proved her majority on the floor of the House, I strongly defended the Government.

What gains do you foresee for the BJP after its tie-up with the BSP?

We does not see any gain to the party from the coalition government. The government was formed in the interests of the people of the state. Fresh elections, which was the only other option, would have put an additional financial burden on the cash-strapped state.

Your party MLAs have openly complained about ‘‘favouritism’’ in the distribution of ministerial berths. Their supporters even sat on a dharna at the party office here and raised slogans. Is it not indiscipline?

I do not consider it indiscipline. There is no question of taking disciplinary action. Some supporters of Chandramani Kant Singh staged a dharna. In a democracy, everyone has the right to express their views. How can you prevent supporters of any MLA from staging a dharna in protest?

Will Chandramani Kant Singh and others be accommodated in the ministry?

I am nobody to give this assurance. It is the prerogative of the chief minister. It is up to the chief minister to allocate berths to them. I am not going to plead anybody’s case.

In her first press conference, Mayawati said that she would review some decisions taken by you as chief minister. She also commented that the 900-odd schemes that you had announced had put an additional burden of Rs 11,000 crore on the exchequer.

As chief minister, Mayawati has every right to review the decisions made by previous governments. The earlier announcements had been made in the interests of the people of the state. If she thinks the people of the state can be served in a better way by reviewing the decisions, that’s fine.

What do you want the government to do on a priority basis?

The state government must take steps for overall development of the state; it should create jobs for the lakhs of unemployed in the state.

But Mayawati seems more occupied in transferring bureaucrats.

It’s the chief minister’s prerogative to transfer officials.

Will you like to join the Union ministry?

No. I prefer an organisational post anywhere in the country.