In a major setback to the BJP ahead of Uttar Pradesh elections, state minister and senior party leader Swami Prasad Maurya on Tuesday resigned from the Yogi Adityanath-led cabinet.
“I worked with dedication in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet despite a conflicting ideology and circumstances. I resign from the Yogi cabinet of Uttar Pradesh due to the grossly neglectful attitude towards Dalits, OBCs, farmers, unemployed youth and small, and medium businessmen,” Maurya, a five-term MLA, tweeted along with his resignation letter.
Maurya, who was Minister of Labour, Employment, Coordination in the UP government, has joined the Samajwadi Party.
He represents the Padrauna constituency of Uttar Pradesh.
Welcoming the senior leader to his party, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that there will be a “revolution of social justice”.
“Warm welcome and greetings to popular leader Swami Prasad Maurya Ji, who fought for social justice and equality and all the other leaders, workers and supporters who came with him in SP! There will be a revolution of social justice~ There will be change in 22,” Yadav tweeted, along with a picture of him and Maurya.
The political development comes weeks ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh which is to be held in seven phases, starting February 10. The results will be announced on March 10.
Maurya, who belongs to influential OBC (Other Backward Class), had left Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to join the BJP in 2016.
