Dara Singh Chauhan on Wednesday joined the rapidly growing list of disgruntled UP BJP MLAs and Ministers deserting the party. The former minister in his resignation accused the Yogi government of poor treatment of farmers and marginalized sections. In his statement, Chauhan said, “BJP formed govt with the support of Dalits, backward communities…but didn’t serve them well, which is why I resigned.” Several leaders have left or expressed the intention to leave the Bhartiya Janta Party(BJP) ahead of the upcoming UP assembly elections.
The spate of resignations was seemingly triggered after Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from his ministerial position in the UP cabinet on Tuesday. BJP MLA from Shikohabad, Mukesh Verma, on Thursday gave up his primary membership of the party. Verma said, “Swami Prasad Maurya is our leader. We will support whatever decision he takes. Many other leaders will join us in the coming days.” On Wednesday, Maurya confirmed the speculations of him joining the Samajwadi Party(SP).
Following Maurya’s resignation, BJP MLAs Brijesh Kumar Prajapati and Bhagwati Prasad Sagar had expressed their intentions of following Maurya’s path. Later in the day, both Brijesh Kumar Prajapati and Bhagwati Sagar resigned from the primary membership of BJP. “Swami Prasad Maurya is the voice of the backward classes. He is our leader and I am with him,” Prajapati stated in his letter. Prajapati also told the media, “We have not joined any party so far. On 14th Jan, wherever Swami Prasad Maurya decides to go, we will follow him.”
Another MLA to quit the BJP to join SP-ally Rashtriya Lok Dal(RLD) is, Avtar Singh Bhadana. RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary shared pictures of the meeting with Bhadana on Wednesday.
