Swami Prasad Maurya and Dara Singh Chauhan are the two ministers who left the UP government
New Delhi:
‘Everything will be revealed on January 14 (Friday)’ – influential OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya’s response to furious speculation about his political future after he resigned from the BJP and the Yogi Adityanath government ahead of the elections yesterday in less than 30 days.
Maurya told DailyExpertNews that the BJP was “deaf to the problems of the backward classes” and that the party “had done me no favors by making me a minister”. Mr Maurya even argued that the BJP should be grateful to him for ending his “14 years” banwaas (exile)” with victory in 2017, which he proudly linked to his arrival aboard Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party – the year before.
“kahan aane waale hai, kahan jaane waale hai, (where I’m coming and where I’m going) … everything will be clear on January 14,” said Maurya, who is widely expected to bring at least four MLAs to Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi party.
A five-time MLA, Mr Maurya delivered a veiled threat to the BJP – alluding to his pick of the winning side for the past two parliamentary elections.
“Look… before I quit the BSP it was the number 1 party in UP. Now it’s nowhere. When I joined the BJP it came out 14 years” banwaas (exile) and formed a majority government…” he told DailyExpertNews.
“BSP collapsed after I left (and) BJP’s popularity skyrocketed in UP because of me. They did me no favors by making me a minister. The endgame has begun for the BJP…” he said ominously.
High on the ‘Modi wave’, the BJP ran to victory in 2012, winning 312 of the 403 seats – an increase of 265 from 2012. The BSP, on the other hand, fell from 80 in 2012 to 19 in 2017.
“My move has led to a buchaal (earthquake) in the BJP,” he boasted to DailyExpertNews earlier today.
Refuting suggestions that his departure was a political game, especially as it comes so close to an election, Mr Maurya said: “When I was in cabinet I did my job to the best of my ability. I have my points on the right-hand side platforms then… but today I feel the media is the right platform.”
He also downplayed talk of the arrest warrant issued in his name today – 24 hours after his discharge – in connection with a 2014 hate speech case. I’ll make my points in a court of law,” he said.
The departure of Mr Maurya from the party and the Yogi Adityanath cabinet (which includes four MLAs and today another minister and an influential OBC face in Dara Singh Chauhan) is blowing a hole in the BJP’s plans for an election involving the main challenger of the Akhilesh party is Yadav’s Samajwadi party.
Votes from OBC communities are critical to the BJP, especially as a backlash is expected from the large number of farmers following controversy over now-repealed agricultural laws.
Swami Prasad Maurya was key to the BJP’s strategy of winning those votes and opposing Akhilesh Yadav.
Mr Yadav for his part was quick to welcome Mr Maurya and his supporters to the party; “…there will be a revolution for social justice…there will be change,” he said.
