Bureaucrat are running Yogi govt: BJP leader

Singh told The Indian Express, “It is not just me but many party leaders feel the same — that the bureaucracy is running this government. Workers like me have faced lathi charges and today, when BJP workers and leaders go to police stations to conduct genuine work for the people, they are not heard… A price tag has been set for everything… The situation of people’s representatives and party leaders has become worse and no heed is given to them.”

The former Ballia MLA, currently a member of the state BJP working committee, said he had raised the issue during a recent BJP executive committee meeting in Lucknow. “The corruption at the grassroot level by officers has become the norm and they are extracting money from the public, and there is no one to listen to the people,” Singh said.

“We are hesitant to go to the police station for genuine problems being faced by the people as we are not sure how we would be treated and whether we would be heard or not,” he added.

He also claimed that crores of rupees have been “wasted” on the Jai Prakash International Centre in Lucknow. “It has come out that branded taps have been stolen, while water has filled inside electrical works… Forget about spending money to complete the project, the funds that were already spent are also getting wasted as there is no upkeep and maintenance of the centre,” Singh said, adding that this “waste of public money” would also hurt the sentiments of the public.

This is not the first time that Singh has highlighted the shortcomings of his own party in UP. Last week, he had raised the issue of lack of medical facilities in his home district of Ballia.