With the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh only a few months away, the Bahujan samaj Party (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’.
Maurya (62), the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, said he felt ‘suffocated’ and accused Mayawati of ‘auctioning’ tickets for the next year’s Assembly polls.
The MLA from Padrauna Assembly constituency and a minister in the former Mayawati government left BSP amid speculation are rife that he might join the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) 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, Maurya said, “Tickets are being openly auctioned by 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 Mayawati of “murdering” the values and principles of BR Ambedkar and BSP founder Kanshi Ram.
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 Azam Khan, giving rise to rumours that he was cosying up with the ruling party in the state.
Soon after Maurya announced his resignation, Mayawati said he had quit as he was unhappy after Mayawati refused to accept his demand for giving tickets not only to him but also to his son and daughter. “I would have expelled in a few days. He has done a great favour to the party by leaving it himself,” she said.
Slamming 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 state Assembly.
She dared Maurya to disclose as to how much money he had paid her for his party ticket to contest the last polls.
Mayawati said Maurya was insisting for tickets not only for himself but also for his son and daughter. “I said nothing doing. BSP does not encourage dynastic politics,” she said.
“May be Samajwadi Party will give tickets to Maurya and his son and daughter,” she said. To questions, Maurya said he has not resigned from the post of Leader of the BSP Legislature party as he had been elected by MLAs and they, along with the people of his constituency, will decide
his fate.
Maurya’s resignation comes as a jolt to 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 BSP’s base among Kushwahas, Mauryas, Shakyas and Sainis.
Contending that genuine workers were feeling demoralised because of Mayawati’s actions, Maurya said, “I myself feel insulted in the party. If I cannot serve the people or the party, then what meaning do these posts hold for me?”
Mayawati said if Maurya had not quit on his own, she would have expelled him soon.“Maurya had often been giving statements other than the party line... He had been once with SP Chief Mulauam Singh Yadav and like him he believes in dynastic rule,” she said.
“He had been seeking ticket for his son and daughter in the coming elections like in 2012 but I had clearly told him that it will not be done as BSP does not believe in this kind of dynastic politics,” she said.