Swami Prasad Maurya resigns from Yogi cabinet, Akhilesh welcomes him to Samajwadi Party
Sharing a picture with Swami Prasad Maurya on Twitter, Akhilesh Yadav welcomed the former minister in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet as one who is popular for his fight for social justice and equality.
Swami Prasad Maurya resigned as a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday. Hours later, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav shared an image with him and welcomed him to the party fold.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav with former UP minister Swami Prasad Maurya. (Twitter@yadavakhilesh)
Yadav said the former minister in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet is popular for his fight for social justice and equality. The former chief minister also accorded a warm welcome to all other leaders, workers and supporters of Maurya who, Yadav said, joined the Samajwadi Party along with Maurya.
The former chief minister further wrote, “Saamaajik nyaay ka inqalaab hoga (there will be revolution of social justice)”along with a hashtag of a change in 2022.
Earlier in the day, Maurya wrote in a tweet in Hindi, "Due to the attitude of gross neglect towards Dalits, backwards, farmers, unemployed youth and small and medium-sized traders, I am resigning from the council of ministers of Yogi (Adityanath) of UP."
The former minister, however, later said he would consult with my supporters and decided on joining another party, adding dozens of MLAs will resign in the coming days.
He further said, "Ab pata chalega Swami Prasad Maurya kaun hai... Main jahan rahunga wahan sarkar banegi (Now, it will be known who is Swami Prasad Maurya. The government will be formed, whereeve I will remain)," he said.
The development came on a day home minister Amit Shah and Adityanath held a key BJP meeting in the national capital as the party shortlists its probable candidates for the initial phases of the state assembly polls before its Central Election Committee meeting to finalise the names.
Uttar Pradesh is set to see a seven-phased Assembly election between February 10 and March 7. The result of the keenly watched polls will be declared with that of four other poll-bound states on March 10.