Two SP and BSP MLCs resign from UP legislative council; Mayawati and Akhilesh cry foul

Three members of the UP legislative council, including two from the Samajwadi Party (SP) and one from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), resigned today.SP leaders Bukkal Nawab and Yashwant Singh, and Thakur Jiaveer Singh from the BSP submitted their resignation to Chairman of the Legislative Council, Ramesh Yadav. Reacting on the development, SP chief and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said he had met Nawab on Eid and wondered why he had a "sudden change of heart".

"I will ask him (Nawab) as to why he was not giving the BJP leaders (ministers in the Yogi Adityanath government) a chance to face the (election)...(why) some MLCs are being lured and tutored so as to enable (their leaders) from not facing the people," he said.

"After the 'political corruption' on a big scale in Bihar, it seems the same will be done in Uttar Pradesh...people are seeing what is happening ...those who have to go will go, they cannot be stopped," he said.

After submitting his resignation, Nawab said he was "feeling suffocated" in the party since the past one year and that he was ready to meet the BJP leadership if called by them.

The resignation of three MLCs on a day BJP president Amit Shah arrived here on a three-day visit assumes significance as the saffron party has to soon take a decision on five of its ministers in Uttar Pradesh, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who are not members of either of the two Houses.

Besides Adityanath, Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, ministers Swatantra Dev Singh and Mohsin Raza have not been elected to either the state assembly or the legislative council.

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday took a jibe at the recent political development in Bihar and said people are watching the political corruption of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Addressing a press conference here, Akhilesh said, ‘I am surprised to see that people who objected about ‘DNA’ have joined hands NDA (National Democratic Alliance).’

He further added that ‘DNA and NDA have common alphabets so they (Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal- United) should tell the actual meaning.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while attacking Janata Dal- United leader Nitish Kumar at a rally in Muzaffarpur on July 25, 2015, had said that it seemed that there was ‘some problem with Nitish Kumar’s DNA’.

Nitish Kumar has severed ties with his old ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and joined hands with BJP led NDA to form government in Bihar.

Nitish, a longtime ally of the NDA, and Prime Minister Modi in the past have had bitter relations.

Akhilesh trained his guns at Narendra Modi government by saying that people are watching everything and will give befitting reply to everyone in 2019.

When asked about what were the chances of a grand alliance against BJP in 2019, the former chief minister said, ‘It is not about grand alliance. In 2019, people would like to know how forward they (Modi Govt) have taken the country.’

Replying another question, Akhilesh said it is very important to keep good relations with everyone in politics because you never know when you would be needing someone’s support.

When media tried to get a specific answer, he said, ‘Why would I tell you whose support I would be taking’.

When he was asked on his party leader Ram Gopal Yadav’s invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a dinner, Akhilesh said, ‘He is completing 25 years in Lok Sabha and people invite others and attend such functions for formality.’

He also got little bit irritated and questioned the media persons, ‘Do you want me to say that I will host a dinner and will not invite anyone.’

Lashing out at the BJP for its "greed for power", BSP supremo Mayawati today said the recent developments in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat have put "democracy at risk".

"The political developments in Goa, Manipur, Bihar and now in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh are proof enough that the Modi government has put democracy at risk," she said in a statement here.

"BJP's greed for power has turned into lust for power..

the manner in which the official machinery and power is being misused is most condemnable," she said.

The BSP chief said the central government had misused its power in a very blatant manner in Gujarat following which MLAs have been forced to leave their state and move to a safer place.

After forming its government in Goa and Manipur by "crushing democracy", whatever is happening in Bihar, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh is an example of misuse of official machinery like ED, CBI, income tax etc against opposition leaders, she said.

All this is being done to divert attention from the wrong policies and works of the BJP government, she said.

"The governments in Odisha and West Bengal are also facing 'official' terror," she alleged.

On the resignation by three MLCs, two from Samajwadi Party and one of BSP in Uttar Pradesh, Mayawati said rather than bowing before the BJP, they should have faced the challenge.