Former Uttar Pradesh minister Dara Singh Chauhan joined the Samajwadi Party on Sunday, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of attempting to enslave the people and promoting slavery by distributing free food grain to the poor in the state.
He also accused the BJP of ditching the backwards and conspiring to end the reservation system.
In the presence of SP president Akhilesh Yadav, Chauhan, levelled several charges against the BJP and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and claimed that Akhilesh Yadav would be the next chief minister of the state.
RK Verma, an MLA of the BJP ally Apna Dal (Sonelal), also joined the Samajwadi Party on Sunday.
Quoting from Mahabharata, he said that just as big masters were employed to stop Abhimanyu, similarly efforts were being made to stop Akhilesh Yadav, but he had overtaken everyone.
Chauhan targeted the BJP government and alleged that it was taking away the rights of the backwards. He said reservation quota for OBCs had been abolished and a conspiracy was being hatched to deprive the children of backward society of education by ending their reservation. He said that joining the SP was his home coming as it was the party where he belonged.
“All Dalits and backwards have now been mobilised. Nothing can stop this tsunami now. This time in the assembly elections, the SP government will be formed and Akhilesh Yadav will again become the chief minister," he said.
Chauhan said that people from all over the state were coming to Lucknow but they had been stopped everywhere by the administration at the behest of the BJP.
“I have joined SP with honour of Chauhan samaj. BJP had talked about development for all, but development happened for a few people. A conspiracy is being hatched to enslave people but the backward society has woken up. No conspiracy will succeed," he said.
He said that Dalits and Backwards were not getting employment in the BJP rule. “The youth and farmers of the state had once supported the BJP, but the BJP cheated them. Youth are being lathi-charged. BJP will pay the price for this. Now people of every society are with SP,” he said.
On this occasion, Akhilesh Yadav said that people of Dalit and backward society had understood that BJP was working on the policy of privatisation so that reservation could be abolished and the Constitution could be weakened.