The harsh treatment was privately questioned by other cadres in Beijing, but they were assured that Meng's co-operative attitude would be rewarded. Five months later, he was quietly created deputy director of the South-North Water Transfer Project, reporting to the State Council. Meng was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Shanxi Party Committee on August 30, 2007 as part of a wider Party reshuffle, and then elected Vice Governor and acting Governor by the Shanxi Provincial People's Congress on 3 September. His political fortunes, however, proved short-lived when he tendered his resignation on September 14, 2008, after the mudslide in Xiangfen. Meng is a member of the "tuanpai" faction of former Communist Youth League officials and has close personal ties to Party General secretary Hu Jintao. As he stated himself, "My career in the CCYL provided a foundation for my political career later on." At a news conference in January 2003, he portrayed himself as an old friend of Hu, stating "Comrade Jintao was a major leader in the Communist Youth League 20 years ago and some of us worked under his leadership... What I remember most deeply are his fairness, personal integrity and selflessness. Those qualities make up his unique charisma." However, this has been subsequently disputed. Hu allegedly fired his protégé in order to remove Zhang, linked to rival Jiang Zemin. Some reports claimed the mayor was "sacrificed" to protect Liu Qi. It was even claimed that Meng is closer to Liu (and thus Jiang) than Hu. However, most commentators saw Meng's return to power as a sign of the "tuanpai" faction's dominance. Ultimately much of this turned out to be irrelevant as "tuanpai" became a diminished force under the leadership of Xi Jinping. The "People's Daily" at one point portrayed Meng as reformist. Meng said that his CYL experience helps him stay in touch with young people and remain open-minded. Meng once resided in Beijing's Siheyuan, and kept in touch with his former neighbours during his time as mayor, claiming a special understanding of the people. On his election in Taiyuan, he told delegates, "I will do my utmost best to get familiar with Shanxi and become like a native... [the governorship is] a great honour, but also comes with great responsibility."