The ice has started breaking and there has been a thaw in UP chief minister Mayawati’s relations with governor B.L. Joshi. The chief minister on Thursday evening attended a musical programme in Raj Bhavan — something that she is not known to do very often.
Eyewitnesses said that after an initial awkwardness, the chief minister got talking to the governor and his wife and by the time the programme was over, a certain degree of warmth had crept in.
Relations between the chief minister and Raj Bhavan had started taking a turn for the worse when Mr Joshi refused to give his assent to the bill seeking the creation of a special police force for protection of parks and memorials. The state government was finally forced to withdraw the bill and avoid a direct confrontation with Raj Bhavan.
The Mayawati government got another rude shock when Raj Bhavan returned the bill seeking to bring all private and deemed universities under one umbrella.
The chief minister, however, made sure that this time she did not make her resentment public. It was more than obvious that Ms Mayawati was in no mood to invite a direct confrontation with the governor.
Unlike his predecessor, Mr Joshi, too, remained careful with his choice of words and did not level any serious allegation against the state government’s style of governance. “Mr Joshi is a very sober person and does not give vent to his emotions very easily. He studies each issue himself and also pays due attention to representations given to him by opposition parties from time to time. He takes a decision only after considering the legal, political and social aspects of the issue. However, he takes care to ensure that his constitutional duties do not cast a shadow over his personal relations with anyone,” says a senior officer in Raj Bhavan.
On the other hand, the chief minister’s decision to attend the musical programme at Raj Bhavan on Thursday, amply demonstrates that she is also keen to remove any rancour that may have developed in recent months in her relationship with Raj Bhavan.
“Ms Mayawati is never known to attend such functions and yet she made an exception on Thursday. It was a conscious effort and the atmosphere was extremely cordial,” said a close aide of the CM.