UP CM Adityanath holds series of feedback meetings with RSS leaders ahead of assembly polls
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been holding a series of meetings with functionaries of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) across the state. These meetings are described by party leaders as the first such coordinated outreach during his second term in office.
According to a report published by The Print, over the past few days, Adityanath has travelled to Ghaziabad and Kanpur. He is also scheduled to visit Agra on Saturday for further consultations. Before the festival of Holi, he had also chaired feedback meetings in Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Varanasi.
BJP state president Pankaj Chaudhary and the party’s state organisation secretary Dharmpal Singh have been part of the discussions, along with zonal incharges from both the BJP and RSS.
A BJP leader was quoted by The Print as saying that such coordination meetings were being held for the first time during Adityanath’s second tenure as chief minister. During his first term, similar meetings were held in 2018 ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and again in 2021 before the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly elections.
Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are scheduled for next year, with the BJP hoping to retain power for a third straight term.
The discussions come after multiple conversations between Adityanath and RSS chairman Mohan Bhagwat in recent months. On November 24, last year, the chief minister met with Bhagwat in Ayodhya for an approximately 90-minute closed-door talk, followed by another meeting lasting about 40 minutes in February.
Between November 18 and 26, RSS officials attended a number of review meetings with ministers and bureaucrats in Lucknow.
The Print quoted political analyst S.K. Dwivedi as saying that the renewed engagement between the state government and the RSS could prove important ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. According to him, there were reports of reduced activity by RSS cadres during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which may have affected the party’s performance.
Participants in the meetings said RSS functionaries raised several concerns on the allegations of corruption at the local level, farmers’ issues and a lack of coordination between the party organisation and the government.
One RSS functionary who attended a meeting in Ghaziabad said Adityanath was told that corruption in police stations and government offices remained a concern at the grassroots level despite a policy of zero tolerance against senior officials.
Another issue raised was that local officials often ignored BJP and RSS workers. A Sangh leader said that while coordination had improved in major towns, difficulties remained in rural areas, including problems faced by workers in securing emergency hospital beds in the National Capital Region.
According to participants, the chief minister acknowledged the concerns and assured them that the issues would be taken up with district magistrates and other officials.
During a discussion on outreach to different communities at the Ghaziabad meeting, Adityanath repeated his controversial slogan “Ek rahoge to nek rahoge, batoge toh katoge,” a phrase that critics say carries divisive undertones. By invoking the slogan while speaking about outreach, he was seen as framing the message of unity through a warning-like narrative directed at different caste groups.
RSS functionaries also welcomed the state government’s decision to increase the honorarium of Shiksha Mitras, an issue that had been raised in earlier consultations.
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Rajnath Singh chairs IGoM meet, urges constant vigil over West Asia crisis
New Delhi (PTI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday emphasised the need for round-the-clock monitoring of the West Asia conflict and called for a calibrated response to deal with any eventuality to ensure that national interests remain protected.
Singh made the comments while chairing a high-level meeting of the Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) set-up to monitor the situation in West Asia.
The meeting was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Power Minister Manohar Lal, Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister J P Nadda, Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi and Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.
In view of the "uncertain situation", the defence minister underlined the importance of round-the-clock monitoring of the situation and the need to respond in a calibrated manner to deal with any eventuality, an official readout said.
He stressed on the need to leave no stone unturned to ensure that the people of the country face the minimum effect of the conflict, it said.
It was the second meeting of the IGoM after it was set up last month.
The IGoM was apprised of the measures being taken by the government in the wake of the ongoing West Asia conflict, Singh said on social media.
"We also deliberated upon the next steps to be taken by the government to mitigate any adverse impact arising due to the ongoing conflict," he said.
The defence ministry said in the readout said, "In the meeting, the seven empowered groups of secretaries briefed the IGoM on the steps being taken to tackle the situation."
"The IGoM was apprised about measures undertaken by the Ministry of Finance to address concerns arising due to global trade disruptions and provide relief and support to the industry, especially manufacturing, and bolster investor confidence," it said.
It listed measures including notification issued on Wednesday on full customs duty exemption on 40 critical petrochemical products till June 30.
The ministry also mentioned announcement of a special one-time relief measure for eligible units in SEZs to sell manufactured goods in Domestic Tariff Area (DTA) at concessional customs duty rates to be effective from April 1 to March 31.
It also noted another notification issued by the Department of Revenue clarifying that the provisions of GAAR (General Anti Avoidance Rules) will not be invoked in respect of investments made prior to April 1, 2017.
"These measures will reduce cost pressures on downstream sectors including textiles, packaging and pharmaceuticals, facilitate supply stability in the country and provide requisite clarity for investors contemplating investments in India," the readout said.
Defence Minister Singh appreciated the government's decision to impose a 25 per cent cap on the monthly increase in aviation turbine fuel prices for domestic operations, with effect from April 1.
This step will help protect the people from sudden increase in fares, he said.
The government has accorded highest priority to domestic LPG supply, with refinery production enhanced to fully meet consumption requirements, according to the readout.
"The IGoM was informed that there have been no reports of dry-out at LPG distributorships, and delivery of domestic LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders continues as per the normal schedule. The temporary supply concerns arose due to instances of hoarding and black marketing, which triggered panic buying in certain areas," it said.
The ministers were informed that strict enforcement action is being undertaken, with raids being carried out across multiple states and Union territories to curb hoarding and black marketing of LPG, the ministry said in the readout.
Action has also been taken against some LPG distributors who engaged in malpractices, it said.
"To support migrant labour and low-consumption households, the government is ensuring adequate availability of 5 kg free trade LPG cylinders, and since March 23, over 4.3 lakh such cylinders have been sold. Special focus is being given to states where demand is higher," it said.
The IGoM was apprised that industrial requirements dependent on commercial LPG are being met, with over 80 per cent of pre-crisis supply levels being maintained to ensure continuity of operations.
"Special meetings have been held with ministries and stakeholders of different industries to understand their demand and meet their needs. Oil PSUs are ensuring continued supply of Auto LPG across the country," the readout noted.
"However, some supply constraints are being faced by private operators due to their procurement challenges, which is why lines are being observed at PSU auto LPG pumps. Wherever the autos are dual feed and can use petrol, they are being encouraged to use petrol," it said.
