In apparent signs of disenchantment within the Bharatiya Janata Party in Uttar Pradesh, ruling party MLC Devendra Pratap Singh has claimed that the workers of the party are being neglected and there is “loot within the bureaucracy”.

The BJP MLC blamed the bureaucracy for the resentment among the primary school teachers over the biometric attendance. He said if things in the state do not improve, then the situation could worsen.

Singh, the MLC from the Gorakhpur-Faizabad constituency said bureaucrats in the state had bought outdated smartphones at double the price, and tablets were being sold at high prices, in a probable reference to UP government schemes that distribute these gadgets among students. This, he added, should be investigated.

Singh has also written a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, lauding his and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governance but alleging a “conspiracy by bureaucrats” to undermine the government.

The letter primarily questioned the digital attendance system for teachers, which has stoked protests in the state.

His remarks came on the heels of the BJP state unit’s working committee meeting on Sunday, its first important congregation after the Lok Sabha elections. The speakers at the meeting included Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and BJP president JP Nadda. 

At the meeting, Chief Minister Yogi said “overconfidence” had hurt the party in the Lok Sabha elections, while Maurya described the lowered tally as a temporary setback that the party would overcome by 2027, when the state holds its next assembly election.