Mayawati sworn in, promises 'safe' environment to industry

Two days after her Bahujan Samaj Party swept the UP elections, Mayawati was today sworn in as the state's 40th chief minister.

Also sworn in to office were 51 ministers, 19 of them of Cabinet rank, with the notable exception of her key aide, Satish Chandra Mishra.

Her ministry saw a careful blend of Brahmins (three Cabinet ministers and two ministers of state with independent charge), OBCs (two Cabinet ministers), Dalits (seven Cabinet ministers) Muslims (one Cabinet minister) and Thakurs (one Cabinet minister).

At her first press conference after being sworn in, Mayawati announced scrapping of the UP Development Council, formerly led by Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, and re-examination of all decisions taken by former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's government, especially after February.

"I welcome all businessmen to UP, and promise them their lives and property will be protected... they will not have to pay protection money to any goon from now on," she said.

Mayawati is not known to consult her partymen, except Mishra, on governance, but she is known to lend a ear to her bureaucrats. Sailesh Krishna, who had been her secretary in her earlier stint as the chief minister, has now been made her principal secretary. Navneet Sehgal, who was the Lucknow district magistrate during Mayawati's earlier stint, has now been made her secretary. Rohit Nandan, the director general of information during Mayawati's earlier tenure, has been brought in as yet another secretary to the CM.

Mayawati made it clear that Yadav's presence at her swearing-in would not deter her from pursuing cases against him or cases in which his regime had persecuted her supporters.

She also announced that her first priority would be law and order, and that the mafiosi who had been given security during the "goonda raj of the Samajwadi government" would be withdrawn. "They will be shown the door to jail, where they belong," she said.

She remained quiet on the economic and industrial development, saying she would first examine the state of the treasury before agreeing to anything.

"I would also not be in favour of continuing the programme of giving out doles to the unemployed, rather I would like to give them work," she said. While those close to her insist she would not be very vindictive against industrial houses close to the former chief minister, she would welcome rival companies into the state.

PTI adds: Within hours of being sworn in, Mayawati carried out a major administrative reshuffle in her secretariat, creating the post of a Cabinet Secretary and appointing her principal secretaries.

Mayawati appointed Shashank Shekhar Singh as the cabinet secretary and vice-chairman of the state Plan panel.

Apart from Nandan, NS Ravi, Arun Sinha, Anoop Pandey and JS Deepak (all IAS officers) have been appointed as secretaries to the chief minister even as 97 IPS officers, including 12 IGs, 27 DIGs and 29 SPs and SSPs were transferred.

Mayawati ordered the suspension of three officials and an inquiry against a retired engineer on the charge of neglecting the upkeep of a park in Gomti Nagar, her dream project, named after Dalit icon BR Ambedkar .

The vice-chairman of Lucknow Development Authority, BB Singh, former principal secretary, PWD, SK Agarwal and Lucknow Development Authority chief engineer DR Yadav were put under suspension. She also ordered an inquiry against retired chief engineer of Rajkiya Nirman Nigam RS Yadav for "utter neglect" of the park.

Mayawati today also strongly favoured reservation for economically weaker sections among the upper castes and religious minorities.

In keeping with her new social engineering she effected before the elections, Mayawati said she was for reservation for poor among the upper castes and the religious minorities in the interest of their uplift.

"If the Centre brings an amendment (to the law) providing reservation for poor among the upper castes and the religious minorities we will welcome it. If not, then we will take our own measures in UP," she said.