With the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh only a few months away, the BSP was jolted on Wednesday, with its senior leader Swami Prasad Maurya quitting the party while attacking its chief Mayawati, who slammed the “habitual party-hopper”.
Sixty-two-year-old Maurya, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, said he felt “suffocated” and accused Ms. Mayawati of “auctioning” tickets for the next year’s Assembly polls.
The MLA from the Padrauna Assembly constituency and a Minister in the former Mayawati government left the BSP amid speculation that he might join the ruling Samajwadi Party and could be made a Minister when Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav expands his Council of Ministers on June 27.
“I feel suffocated and cannot continue in the party any more,” he said at a hurriedly-convened press conference here.
“Today I have written a letter informing her (Mayawati) that I am relinquishing all party posts,” he said.
Attacking the BSP chief, Mr.Maurya said: “Tickets are being openly auctioned by Ms. Mayawati on a large scale. She is not making the right choice of candidates. Tickets are not only on sale in the party, they are being auctioned.”
He also accused Ms. Mayawati of “murdering” the values and principles of B. R. Ambedkar and BSP founder Kanshi Ram.
To a question, Mr. Maurya said he would announce his next course of action soon.
He is said to be in close touch with senior SP leaders Shivpal Singh Yadav and Mohd. Azam Khan, giving rise to rumours that he was cosying up to the ruling party in the State.
Soon after Mr. Maurya announced his resignation, Ms. Mayawati told media that he had quit as he was unhappy after she refused to accept his demand for giving tickets not only to him but also to his son and daughter.
“I would have expelled him in a few days. He has done a great favour to the party by leaving it himself,” she said.
Slamming Mr. Maurya as a “habitual party-hopper”, she said she had not only accepted him in her party fold but also had given him the coveted post of LoP in the Assembly.
She dared Mr. Maurya to disclose as to how much money he had paid her for his party ticket to contest the last polls.
Ms. Mayawati said Mr. Maurya was insisting for tickets not only for himself but also for his son and daughter. “I said nothing doing. The BSP does not encourage dynastic politics,” she said.
“May be the Samajwadi Party will give tickets to Mr. Maurya and his son and daughter,” she said.
To questions, Mr. Maurya said he has not resigned from the post of Leader of the BSP Legislature Party as he had been elected by the MLAs and they, along with the people of his constituency, will decide his fate.
The resignation comes as a jolt to the BSP as he was a major backward caste face of the party. He had garnered a lot of support of the most backward classes (MBCs) and played a crucial role in forming the BSP’s base among Kushwahas, Mauryas, Shakyas and Sainis.
“Mayawati is murdering values and principles and has stooped to the level of not only selling party tickets but auctioning them to the highest bidder,” Mr. Maurya alleged. “...it is worse than auctioning. In auctioning tenders are floated. But here bidding is done repeatedly,” he alleged.
Mr. Maurya alleged that Ms. Mayawati has adopted the formula jiski jitni thaili bhari, uski utni bhagidari (the richest will have the biggest share), instead of jiski jitni sankhya bhari uski utni bhagidari (the representation will be based on number) -- the original slogan of Kanshi Ram. - PTI
