Reporters' Diary: Magic of Yogi goes overtime

The media may be hailing him as the new action hero of politics, but bureaucrats and government employees in Lucknow are getting increasingly apprehensive about Yogi Adityanath, who is proving to be a workaholic Chief Minister with absolutely no consideration for something called “working hours”. Last week, the Chief Minister called for a presentation of various departments and when he started, he went on working till well past midnight at his office in Sachivalaya Annexe. All officials and employees also remained on duty till the chief minister was in his office. It was around 1 am that the Chief Minister left his office and the lights went out at the Sachivalaya Annexe.

Senior officials who went home after midnight were again summoned by the Chief Minister at 8 am. A senior official later told his friends that he suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure, and would not be able to take the exertion. “I am nearing retirement while the Chief Minister is in his 40s. I will have to think about early retirement if this routine continues,” he said. Yogi’s Cabinet colleagues are also apprehensive about their working hours. “The Chief Minister does not talk in days — he talks in hours when he gives an assignment,” said one of the Cabinet ministers. The Yogi magic is obviously working overtime!

TAKING THE STEAM OUT OF The RHETORIC

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra is not a person to accept defeat in any political debate. Nor is he a person who easily allows the opponent to walk away with an edge after a bitter political discourse. Recently, Biju Janata Dal MP Tathagata Satpathy told reporters that his party stood rock solid united and there would be no split in his party as deliberately propagated by the BJP leaders. He went on to add that the split in the BJD was an impossible proposition as Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of Odisha, had his blessings on it.

Sensing that the troubled BJD, shaken to the core in rural polls, was evoking the name of Lord Jagannath to exploit the emotions of voters, the BJP leader responded with a similar statement: “After our astounding victory in the panchayat polls, we are now a power to reckon with in Odisha. The lotus will bloom here in the land of Lord Jagannath. Lord Jagannath wants prosperity and corruption-free administration in his land and the BJP is the only party which can meet this obligation,” he said, taking the steam out of the experienced Mr Satpathy’s rhetoric.