Former BSP leader and an influential OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya on Monday joined the BJP, giving fillip to the party’s chance to capture power in the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Maurya recently resigned from the BSP after accusing party chief Mayawati of corruption in selecting candidates.
A veteran leader who has been a four-time MlA, Maurya joined the BJP in the presence of party chief Amit shah. Maurya was the leader of Opposition in the State assembly and the BJP hopes his induction will help the party woo OBC voters in a big way. While expressing confidence that the BJP will gain a decisive victory in the UP polls, Maurya heaped praise on PM Modi, saying he is working for the empowerment of the weaker sections.
Slamming Mayawati for turning her party into an “industrial house” and allegedly selling tickets, he claimed that more BSP leaders would join the BJP and requested Shah to properly accommodate them in the party. He accused Mayawati of ignoring the interest of the backwards castes and apprehended that she might not give more than 26-27 seats to the OBC candidate in the assembly polls. He went on to point that in the lok Sabha polls, the BJP gave tickets to 29 OBC candidates and all of them won where Mayawati fielded only 16 candidates.
“BSP was a movement under its founder Kanshi Ram but Mayawati has begun selling tickets,” Maurya alleged, adding, “BSP is no longer a political party but an industrial house. It is not only an insult of Baba Sahab Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram but also our Constitution. It will not be an exaggeration to say that it is murder of democracy."
Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Keshav Prasad Maurya said Swami Prasad Maurya's entry into the party will boost its strength and its mission to winning power in the state is close to reality.