Setback for BJP in UP as minister Swami Prasad Maurya, three MLAs resign, likely to join SP

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, January 11

In a major setback to the ruling BJP in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, top OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya today resigned from the state Cabinet while three MLAs announced they were quitting the party.

A five-time MLA from Padrauna, Maurya held the Labour portfolio. He cited “grave oppression” of Dalits, OBCs, farmers, unemployed and small businessmen” under CM Yogi Adityanath as the reason behind his resignation. Soon after, the three MLAs, Roshan Lal Verma (Shahjahanpur), Brijesh Prajapati (Tindwari) and Bhagwati Sagar (Bilhaur), quit the BJP in “Maurya’s support”.

Though the Samajwadi Party tweeted a photo showing its president Akhilesh Yadav welcoming Maurya and Verma into the party, the minister’s daughter and BJP’s Badaun MP Sanghamitra Maurya claimed her father was yet to join any party. He had quit the BJP and would reveal his strategy soon, she maintained.

Sources said the next 48 hours were crucial for the BJP as more ministers and MLAs could quit the party. “Maurya is trying to influence other ministers and MLAs. Leaders have been tasked to talk to them,” said sources. BJP leaders, however, said a majority of those threatening to quit were the ones who knew they would be dropped on the basis of their performance. “Over 25 per cent of the MLAs may be denied the ticket. As far as Maurya is concerned, he was kept out of key decision-making committees as the leadership was aware this (resignation) was coming,” they said.

Union Minister Amit Shah had a detailed discussion with Maurya during his last visit to UP as the latter was seeking “25-30 tickets for his supporters”, the leaders said. The defection comes as a shot in the arm for Akhilesh, who is trying to project himself as the leader of all backward communities. He has been actively wooing non-Yadav OBCs, who comprise 35 per cent of the total OBC population in the state, by stitching alliances with smaller caste-based parties. “There will be social justice and change in 2022,” Akhilesh said while welcoming Maurya into the SP. Before he joined the BJP, Maurya (68) was considered close to BSP chief Mayawati. Alleging auctioning of party ticket, he had left the BSP before 2017 Assembly polls.

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‘Dalits, OBCs being ignored’

Because of the grave oppression of Dalits, OBCs, farmers, unemployed and small businessmen, I am resigning. — Swami Prasad Maurya, former minister