Uttar Pradesh Election 2022: Swami Prasad Maurya, Dharam Singh Saini, 6 MLAs join SP at big show of strength

LUCKNOW: Having resigned from the UP cabinet, Swami Prasad Maurya accused the government of adopting a ‘use and throw’ policy towards scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward castes to form a government in Uttar Pradesh which was being run by the upper caste. After formally joining the SP in the presence of party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Maurya said the party was now ready with its patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav’s famous 'Charkha Daon' to defeat the BJP in caste arithmetic and the 2022 Assembly polls.
Apart from Maurya, his cabinet colleague in the government, Dharam Singh Saini and six MLAs also joined SP at a well-attended special event -- which was supposed to be virtual -- held at party headquarters in Lucknow.
In his maiden address at SP headquarters, Maurya wasted no time in attacking the ruling BJP accusing the government of neglecting the scheduled castes and tribes and backward classes after coming to power riding on their votes.
The list of remaining six MLAs who formally joined SP after resigning from the BJP in the past few days, included Bhagwati Sagar, Brijesh Kumar Prajapati, Vinay Shakya, Roshan Lal Verma, Dr Mukesh Verma and sitting MLA Amar Singh of Apna Dal, which is part of the government in UP. While Dara Singh Chauhan - the third minister who resigned from the Yogi cabinet recently, was nowhere to be seen, sources said he was slated to join SP at an event on Sunday.
Claiming that his joining the SP will mark the debacle of BJP in UP's history, Maruya said: "Today the senior BJP leaders who were in a slumber and never had the time to meet and listen to the MP, MLAs and minister, are having sleepless nights ever since we resigned," he said.
He justified his resignation from the government, along with seven other MLAs, to join SP accusing the BJP of catering to 5% of the upper caste at the cost of votes which the party got from 23% scheduled castes and tribes and 54% backward classes. "The BJP talks of taking along 80% Hindus when it comes to elections, but once the government is formed only 5% upper caste "malai khate hain" (enjoy the fruits of it).
"Before 2017 assembly polls, BJP used to say Keshav Prasad Maurya or Swami Prasad Maurya will become the CM. Once it was time for government formation, they tried to drop a Skylab from Ghazipur and then eventually sent one from Gorakhpur," he said. He cited the recent recruitment of teachers on 69,000 posts and questioned the government over filling up 19,000 posts meant for the reserved category by general candidates. "When you talk about elections being a 80-20 fight and say 80% are Hindus, then why don't you include 23% SC and STs and 54% backwards in jobs and welfare schemes. Are the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backwards not Hindus," he asked.
Citing an instance where a proposal was tabled during a cabinet meeting for appointment in the medical education department, he said: "The proposal said since SC, ST and backward caste candidates have not applied, all the posts be given to general category candidates. I asked them if the vacancies were adequately advertised and found out that they were not."