LUCKNOW: While Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav launched a scathing attack on the BJP saying the ruling dispensation had ruined the state during the last five years by betraying the farmers and youth, his newly inducted aide and former Yogi minister Swami Prasad Maurya accused the ruling party of betraying backwards and named deputy CM Keshav Maurya as one of the victims of betrayal.
Both the leaders were addressing a huge gathering of workers at a mega induction event organized at SP headquarters to welcome Swami Prasad Maurya, Dharam Singh Saini and their supporters to the party fold here on Friday. Among the former legislators of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who joined the SP on Friday included Bhagwati Sagar, Vinay Shakya, Mukesh Verma and Roshan Lal Verma.
However, Lucknow Police, later in the day, lodged an FIR against Samajwadi Party leaders after hundreds of supporters turned up at the party office to physically attend a 'virtual rally' meant for new inductions.
According to Lucknow Police Commissioner DK Thakur the FIR was lodged against nearly 2,500 SP leaders under Sections 188, 269, 270 and 341 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with relevant sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act. Thakur added that the police had got the event video recorded before lodging the FIR.
Visuals from the 'virtual rally' show cops clearing the crowds that had gathered outside the SP office in gross violation of Covid-19 protocol, he said. Lucknow District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash said that the Samajwadi Party's virtual rally was held without prior permission.
"Upon receiving information, a police team and magistrate were sent to the SP office. Action will be taken on the basis of their report," DM Prakash said.
Earlier, while addressing the gathering, SP chief took a jibe on CM Yogi Adityanath’s recent statement that the UP election was about 80 percent positivity versus 20 percent negativity, saying that after Maurya's induction into SP, the 80 per cent support was shifted to his party and remaining 20 per cent would also vote for SP as they were unhappy with the present dispensation.
“They have claimed that they will win three-fourth of the seats, now they are in a position to hardly win 3 or four seats,” said Akhilesh on a sarcastic note.
On the other, while joining the Samajwadi Party, former Yogi minister Swami Prasad Maurya claimed that he was going to script the end of ‘Yogi sarkar’ in UP on the auspicious day of Makarsankranti by joining the SP.
He claimed that it was the day of the amalgamation of ‘Samajwad’ (socialism) and Ambedkarvaad (BR Ambedkar's philosophy).
Citing the example of BSP chief Mayawati, his former boss who gave him the stature he enjoys today, Maurya claimed that those whom he left were ruined. However, the backward leader grabbed the opportunity to play up the caste card accusing the BJP of ignoring the backwards in the party by naming UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya in line with himself.
“They had promised during the campaign for 2017 elections that a backward – either me or Keshav Maurya -- would be the UP CM but they brought a sky lab from Gorakhpur and dropped him on the CM’s chair,” said Maurya adding that the entire hard work to secure win for the BJP was done by backwards and the fruits of the success were reaped by upper castes.
He also referred to the formula of 80:20 percent saying that it was now 85:15 percent. “Now 85 per cent are with us and we have a share in remaining 15 per cent as well,” asserted the backward leader.
Maurya claimed that he might have not formed a party but his stature was no less than a party chief in UP politics.
“I have joined hands with Akhilesh Yadav since he is a young leader with progressive thoughts,” said Maurya while exhorting the SP workers to uproot the BJP from UP in upcoming elections.
Speaking at the event, Saini said, “We all are joining SP today and to save the Constitution, democracy and the interest of Dalits, backwards. We will make you the next CM.”
“We will make you (Akhilesh Yadav) take the UP CM's oath on March 10 and India's PM in 2024,” he added.