LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh’s labour minister, Swami Prasad Maurya, 68, resigned from the state cabinet on Tuesday, delivering a severe jolt to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the assembly elections starting February 10.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav tweeted a photograph with Swami Prasad Maurya, who quit the Yogi Adityanath-led cabinet a few minutes after he meeting Akhilesh Yadav to join the SP on Tuesday.
Maurya’s resignation was followed by more exits from the BJP with three MLAs – Bhagwati Sagar from Bilhaur (Kanpur), Brajesh Prajapati, MLA from Tindwari assembly seat of Banda and Roshan Lal Verma, Tilhar Shahjahanpur - reportedly sending their resignation letters to the party. There were reports that some other legislators and BJP leaders were also in touch with the Samajwadi Party.
“Despite the adverse situation, I have worked with all responsibility and dedication as a minister of labour, employment in chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet. But I am resigning from the UP ministry in view of gross neglect towards Dalits, backward classes, farmers, unemployed youth and small-medium sized traders,” said Maurya in a letter addressed to the UP governor.
UP Raj Bhawan confirmed receipt of the resignation letter from Maurya. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath is yet to react to Maury’s exit.
{{/usCountry}}UP Raj Bhawan confirmed receipt of the resignation letter from Maurya. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath is yet to react to Maury’s exit.
{{/usCountry}}“Ab pata chalega Swami Prasad Maurya kaun hai. Main jahan rahunga, wahan sarkar banegi. (Now it will be known to them who Swami Prasad Maurya is. The party I go to will form the government,” Maurya told reporters later.
On June 22, 2016, Maurya resigned from the BSP and as leader of opposition in the state assembly, accusing the BSP of running a ‘money for ticket’ syndicate and joined the BJP.
He was elected to state assembly from Padrauna seat of Kushinagar while his daughter Sanghmitra Maurya is BJP MP from Badaun. Both of them have remained unavailable for comments.
In a post on Twitter, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said: “Known for his fight for social justice and equality, Swami Prasad Maurya is welcome with greetings and honour, along with his workers and supporters. There will be a revolution on the social justice front. There will be a change in 2022.”
Reacting to Maurya’s resignation, senior BJP leader and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said: “I do not know the reasons why respected Swami Prasad Mauryaji has resigned. I appeal he should sit to talk. Any decisions taken in haste could prove wrong.”
“This must be a fall out of pressure tactics instead of ideological commitments. Maurya may be pressuring the BJP for distribution of tickets his way while the BJP may be having its own considerations. Leaders may not be satisfied over the distribution of tickets and so may leave their respective parties before polls,” said Professor SK Dwivedi, former head of department, political science, Lucknow University.