Team News Riveting
Lucknow, January 11
Swami Prasad Maurya, who had accused then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav of ruling the state with the help of terrorists, joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) today.
After the announcement of the date of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, State’s Labor and Employment Minister Swami Prasad Maurya resigned. Maurya sent his resignation letter to the Governor and later joined the Samajwadi Party. He was in contact with the Samajwadi Party for a long time.
Defection is no new to Maurya, who has been active in politics since the eighties. After being in BSP for almost 20 years, he joined BJP before the 2017 assembly elections. Maurya, who joined the BJP, had then targeted Akhilesh, alleging that the Samajwadi Party president ruled on the strength of goons and criminals. Now Swami Prasad has joined Akhilesh’s party.
Maurya was angry with the BJP party for a long time. He was seeking assembly election tickets for himself, his son and a few of his supporters. Interestingly, he had left the BSP because Mayawati had refused to give tickets to his son and wife. Along with Maurya, three MLAs have also left the BJP.
Born in Pratapgarh district of UP, Minister Swami Prasad Maurya has done his graduation in Law and MA degree from Allahabad University. In 1980, he actively entered politics. He became a member of the State Working Committee of the Allahabad Yuva Lok Dal and was the General Secretary from June 1981 to 1989. From 1989 to 1991, he was the General Secretary of UP Lok Dal. Maurya was the General Secretary of Uttar Pradesh Janata Dal from 1991 to 1995.
In 1996, Swami Prasad Maurya joined the BSP and became the state General Secretary. He was elected from Dalmau, Rae Bareli assembly constituencies on the BSP ticket for four times. He won the Padrauna Assembly by-election in 2009 and defeated the mother of Union Minister RPN Singh. From May 2002 to August 2003, he got the rank of Minister and from August 2003 to September 2003 he was also the Leader of the Opposition. Swami Prasad Maurya was a minister from 2007 to 2009.
In January 2008, he was made the state president of BSP. In 2016, he revolted against the BSP and joined the BJP.
Maurya had launched a scathing attack on Akhilesh Yadav’s statement on the police. He had said that during the rule of the Samajwadi Party, efforts were made to drop the trial of terrorists. The head of the Samajwadi Party ruled on the strength of criminals, goons and miscreants, he had said. In Kushi Nagar, Swami Prasad Maurya said that the Yogi government completed the paperwork of Akhilesh Yadav and hence Akhilesh Yadav should appreciate the Yogi government.
Now, he has left Yogi and embraced Akhilesh.
