In violation of the RTI Act in Uttar Pradesh, local BJP leader Swatantra Prakash Gupta has been appointed as information commissioner by a committee led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. 

At least four of the 10 newly-appointed information commissioners are either linked to the BJP or are known to be favourable towards Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Newslaundry learnt. These appointments, and that of chief information commissioner Rajkumar Vishwakarma, were approved by governor Anandi Ben Patel on March 7. 

As per law, information commissioners, who are responsible to disseminate information requested under the RTI Act, cannot be an MP or a member of the state legislature, and should not hold an office of profit or be associated with a political party. 

Of the 10 newly-appointed information commissioners, two are retired police officers, one is a retired IAS officer, four are journalists, one is a senior advocate and BJP leader, one is former judicial officer, and one is an associate professor. 

Among these, journalists Virendra Singh Vatsa and Padum Narayan Dwivedi and professor Dr Dilip Kumar Agnihotri often write in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Yogi. 

Vatsa is an editor at news daily Hindustan, while Dwivedi works with RSS-affiliated Hindustan Samachar. Agnihotri is an associate professor at Vidyant Hindu College in Lucknow and often writes for BJP-affiliated think tank Shyama Mukherjee Research Foundation.  

Govt presser did not disclose Gupta’s BJP links 

In the March 7 press release issued by the UP government, BJP leader Gupta was identified as “senior advocate”. 

But Gupta himself told Newslaundry he has served in several “high posts” in the BJP, though he denied holding any “direct responsibility” at present. “I worked a lot for the party but kept getting sidelined. Currently, I do not have any direct responsibility in the party. However, my ideology is of the BJP. I have been associated with it from the start.”

However, Newlaundry confirmed with party sources that the Badaun resident has been serving as the co-convenor of UP BJP’s law and legal cell since July 2021. On February 12, he was also assigned the role of party incharge for Bareilly Cantt for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. 

Gupta often represents the BJP in media interviews and party events, including PM Modi’s Jan Vishwas Yatra. He also addressed a BJP rally at Budaun district’s Saijani village on January 27, where CM Yogi and central minister Hardeep Singh Puri were present to inaugurate an HPCL unit. 

A senior journalist from Badaun, who did not want to be identified, told Newslaundry Gupta has a long association with the RSS, and had also served as the district president of BJP’s student-wing ABVP. He subsequently served as the member of two state committees, and has been eyeing the party’s ticket to contest polls. 

Newslaundry sent queries on the matter to Shishir, director of Uttar Pradesh information and PR department. This report will be updated if a response is received. 

Journalists, professor ‘who praise’ Yogi 

The social media accounts of journalists Vatsa and Dwivedi are populated with posts linked to BJP leaders, retweets, or birthday wishes for BJP politicians. 

In a Facebook post on February 28, Vatsa described CM Yogi as “a raging fire”, and “love and sacrifice”. It also included a picture of him with Yogi, with the caption, “Had the good fortune of meeting the ever majestic CM Shri Yogi Adityanath ji Maharaj in Lucknow yesterday.” 

Vatsa has reportedly written several poems and songs on Ram and Ayodhya, one of which was played at the Republic Day celebrations in Delhi this year. The song was titled “Jahan Ayodhya Siyaram ki deti samta ka sandesh (Where Siyaram’s Ayodhya gives the message of parity)”.  

Meanwhile, Dr Agnihotri has written at least 11 articles for Shyama Mukherjee Research Foundation, all of which ostensibly praise PM Modi or CM Yogi. Some of his articles are titled “Beshumar hain UP ki Pragati ka praman (Countless are the evidence of UP’s progress) and “Budget mein Modi ki guarantee (Modi’s guarantee  in the budget)”. 

His Facebook display picture is also a photograph of him with CM Yogi.

This report was originally published in Newslaundry Hindi.

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