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BJP leadership decides not to remove Kalyan Singh as CM

Kalyan Singh will remain the Uttar Pradesh chief minister.

A decision to this effect was taken by the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership in New Delhi on Monday, ending the week-long speculation about change of guard in the UP ruling coalition.

Kalyan Singh, who rushed to Delhi on Sunday evening amidst speculation that he would be inducted in the Union Cabinet and that a leader from the upper caste would replace him, met party president Khushabau Thakre and Home Minister L K Advani on Monday and apprised them of the political situation.

Soon after his meeting with Advani, Kalyan Singh told newspersons that the party high command has assured him that there would be no change.

Advani confirmed that Kalyan Singh would remain the CM.

Kalyan Singh wanted to know whether media reports about his imminent replacement were true. Advani advised him to contact Thakre. At that stage, the home minister chose to talk to the BJP president.

Pressed to give his assessment of the state's political situation, Advani skirted questions saying that it was not his domain.

In the morning, Kalyan Singh had met Thakre for more than one-and-a-half hours. He gave him a detailed account of the state's political situation and his grip over the ruling coalition.

He has now rushed back to Lucknow to hold talks with the allies. Tonight, he is meeting the disgruntled Jantantrik Bahujan Samaj party leaders.

He said there was no threat to his government. There were no differences in the ruling coalition and he was in constant and regular touch with allies.

UNI

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