Farmers Movement Archive

Inclusion of expelled leaders will weaken SP, says BSP chief

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati hit out at the Samajwadi Party (SP) after two expelled party leaders, Lalji Verma and Ramachal Rajbhar, joined the Akhilesh Yadav-led party at the ‘Janadesh Maharally’ in Ambedkarnagar district on Sunday. The two leaders were Both Verma and Rajbhar are MLAs from Assembly constituencies in Ambedkar Nagar. Verma is an MLA from Katehari, while Rajbhar has the Akbarpur constituency. They were expelled from the BSP for ‘anti-party activities’.In a series of tweets, Mayawati said the inclusion of expelled leaders of the BSP and other rival parties would not increase the SP’s support base but would weaken it further.“The SP should know that by taking such selfish party-hoppers, the ticket-seekers, within its fold is only going to make its workers angry, many of whom are in touch with the BSP. “These people are going to inflict severe damage to the party from inside during the polls,” she said.The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister made it clear that she was not eager to open her party’s doors to the defectors from other parties who wished to join the BSP after being denied tickets for the assembly election. Rather, the BSP will give the party ticket to its leaders instead of defectors, she said.Speaking at the Janadesh rally in Ambedkar Nagar district earlier in the day, both Verma and Rajbhar called upon the people to vote the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) out of power and make SP chief Akhilesh Yadav the next chief minister by ensuring the SP’s victory in the 2022 assembly election. Verma, who was the leader of the BSP legislature party, said the BSP has deviated from the ideals of Bhimrao Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram.“I was a founding member of the BSP and worked for 35 years to widen the party’s support,” he said.Rajbhar, the national general secretary of the BSP, alleged that the BSP chief had humiliated him.”Before taking action, she did not hear us. A large number of the BSP leaders and workers are deserting the party to join the SP,” he said.Meanwhile, in a separate tweet, Mayawati demanded the withdrawal of the Centre’s three new farm laws.“The BJP says ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas’. But, how can people believe this ‘jumlaa’ (rhetoric) when the country’s farmers have been so fiercely protesting against the three farm laws for such a long time and are agitated,” she tweeted in Hindi.The BSP leader noted that for the first time in three years, the Central government has given some relief to the people on Diwali by reducing the excise duty on petrol and diesel.

Hindustan Times

08-11-2021

India