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Akhilesh Yadav's ‘monsoon offer’ amid Yogi Adityanath vs Keshav Prasad Maurya rift buzz
Keshav Prasad Maurya set off rift speculation with his speech on Sunday and a post on X on Wednesday after his meeting in Delhi with BJP president JP Nadda.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday made a cryptic ‘monsoon offer’ amid the apparent infighting in the Uttar Pradesh unit of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Monsoon offer: Sau lau, sarkar bano,” Akhilesh Yadav posted on X.
The social media post is being seen as an offer to the detractors of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adiyanath to defect and form a new government.
This is not the first time Akhilesh Yadav has made such an offer.
In December 2022, the Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh offered Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak to “bring 100 MLAs and become CM of the state”.
“There are 2 Deputy CMs in the state. Both of them are looking for an opportunity to become a CM. We have come to give them an offer, bring 100 MLAs here, we are with you, and become CM whenever you want,” he had said at a rally in Rampur.
Read: Yogi’s Adityanath’s ‘courtesy call’ on Uttar Pradesh governor comes on day of developments
Reports of rumblings in the UP BJP has emerged after an underwhelming performance in the Lok Sabha elections, which left Prime Minister Narendra Modi without a parliamentary majority and dependent on his allies.
Keshav Prasad Maurya, an other backward classes (OBC) leader and a known detractor of Yogi Adityanath, set off speculation first with his speech on Sunday and then a post on X on Wednesday hours after his meeting in Delhi with party president JP Nadda.
“The organisation is bigger than the government, the pain of the workers is my pain. No one is bigger than the organisation, the workers are the pride,” his office posted on X on Wednesday in what appeared to be a jab at Yogi Adityanath.
The BJP dismissed any speculation of infighting and sought to project a united face in possibly the most politically crucial state.
However, leaders aware of developments said the factionalism was not only limited to the state unit but also involved senior central leaders who were unhappy with the showing of the party in the state in the Lok Sabha polls.
