Uttar Pradesh: BJP lawmaker meets SP chief Akhilesh Yadav

Earlier this year, BJP MLA Rakesh Rathore had said he would not dare speak against his party’s government in Uttar Pradesh

A first-time BJP lawmaker from Uttar Pradesh, Rakesh Rathore, met Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday, about three months after he had said that he would not dare speak against his party government for fear of being booked under the sedition charge. Rathore is an OBC (Other Backward Classes) leader from Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh.

BJP lawmaker Rakesh Rathore with Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav. (SOURCED IMAGE)

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and SP haven’t made any official comment on the meeting, but sources in the Samajwadi Party said at least eight BJP lawmakers were in touch.

In May, the BJP MLA was apparently heard expressing “helplessness” when asked by journalists to comment on why a trauma centre set up in 2016 in Khairabad’s Jamayatpur area was still not functional. It falls in the Sitapur assembly constituency, from where Rathore was elected in 2017.

Back in May, Rathore, 55, appeared to say in Hindi: “Hum zyada bolenge toh deshdroh, rajdroh hum pe bhi to lagega (If I say more, I will be booked for sedition too).” He also suggested that MLAs have little standing before the government when he questioned: “…vidhayakon ki haisiyat kya hai? (What is the status of legislators)?”

To another query, he said sarcastically, “Bhaiya hum to wahi kahenge jo sarkar keh rahi, wahi sahi maano ... (All I will say is believe all that the government says).”

A few days back, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had said that several BJP lawmakers, who feared losing tickets, would head for his party. Rathore was not available for comment on his meeting which was, however, confirmed by the SP.