When Manoj Kumar Singh, 1988 batch IAS officer, took charge as Chief Secretary of Utter Pradesh on Sunday, the ongoing speculations in social media about the rivalry between CM Yogi Adityanath and Home Minister Amit Shah have been washed away. 

After the BJP performing poorly in the LS poll results 2024,YouTubers and a couple of articles in print media claimed that ‘all was not well’ between Yogi and Shah. They had raises questions about the dynamics within the party in Utter Pradesh. 

These speculations had gained ground mainly because of the reality faced by Yogi. 

And despite having played a pivotal role in securing 62 out of 80 seats for the BJP in the 2019 elections, Yogi had faced marginalization from the central leadership, virtually headed by Amit Shah– evident in his exclusion from the BJP Parliamentary board and the appointment of two deputy chief ministers to keep him in check. 

That is past. With the appointment of his loyalist and a performing officer, Manoj Kumar Singh, who is credited to have successfully organised Kumbh Mela and ensuring that Uttar Pradesh had gained huge investment proposals worth thousands of crores, as new Chief Secretary, the Center headed by PM Narendra Modi has also sent a political message to the state that the reins of UP are in the hands of CM Yogi.  

Also, there is a message that Modi-led Centre and the BJP alias “ Double Engine” government will work under Yogi’s leadership. From Rajeev Kumar, Anoop Chandra Pandey, Rajendra Kumar Tiwari to Durga Shankar Mishra in the last seven years of the Yogi regime, the Center, especially Home Minister Amit Shah, had the power to decide the Chief Secretary of the state. 

Available information indicates that CM Yogi had to adjust with them. Now, it is crystal clear that this is for the first time that the CS was the CM Yogi’s choice and there will be no central or Amit Shah’s interference in governance of the state of UP.  

In any case,Manoj Kumar Singh, new CS of Utter Pradesh, who is widely known as honest and competent civil servant,has roots in Ranchi.