Barely an hour before BJP president Amit Shah landed at the lucknow airport for a three-day tour of organisational meetings, two MlCs of Samajwadi Party - Bukkhal Nawab and Yashwant Singh and one from BSP Jaiveer Singh resigned from their legislative Council membership on Saturday.
The by-poll neecessitated by the resignations could pave the way for three ministers of Yogi government to obtain membership of the state legislature.
Another SP MlC, Madhukar Jaitley was also slated to tender his resignation but did not turn up at the residence of Chairman of the legislative Council and later left for Delhi with dissident SP leader Shivpal Yadav.
Bukkhal Nawab claimed that Jaitley would soon tender his resignation. BSP MlC and former minister in Mayawati government Jaiveer Singh too resigned from the membership of the Council.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, two Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma and two ministers of state —Swatantra Deo Singh and Mohsin Raza, are not members of either House at present. In order to continue in the cabinet, they would have to take membership of either House before September 19.
Bukkhal Nawab and Yashwant Singh of the SP submitted their resignations to legislative Council Chairman Ramesh Yadav on Saturday. Nawab went alone to the Chairman’s residence while Singh was accompanied by BJP MlA Mayankeshwar Singh.
Close to SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, Nawab said that he was feeling neglected in the organisation after Akhilesh Yadav replaced Mulayam as SP chief.
“It’s merely the beginning. Many more SP MlAs and MlCs will desert the party very soon. The party is no longer Samajwadi Party, its become Samajwadi Akhada Party,’’ said Nawab.
Nawab also expressed his support for construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya. “The temple should be constructed only at the birth place of lord Ram at Ayodhya. Where will the temple be constructed, if not Ayodhya will it be set up in Pakistan, Afghanistan, England or Holland IJ I will donate Rs 10 lakh and a golden crown for Ram temple at Ayodhya,’’ said the former MlC.
Nawab is facing a probe for illegally claiming compensation for land submerged in Gomti river. The lucknow Development Authority has also issued order for demolition of a multi-storeyed residential apartment illegally constructed by Nawab in Old City along Gomti river near Clock Tower in Hussainabad area.
When contacted Yashwant Singh said, “Maine apni seat Yogi Ji (Adityanath) ke liye samarpit kar di hai.” (I have dedicated my seat to Yogiji) . He said that he was unhappy with the remark of Akhilesh Yadav on China in the Council on Wednesday.
“I am disciple of former PM Chandrashekhar and I could not compromise with national interest. I will be with India, not China,” Singh said, whose legislative Council term ends on July 7, 2022.
BSP MlA Jaiveer Singh, who was accompanied by two BJP ministers Swami Prasad Maurya and Chaudhary lakshmi Narayan, said, “The BSP is a discredited party. It has lost people’s trust and divisive politics on caste and religious lines cannot be pursued in the state any longer.’’
With a total strength of 100 meembers, UP legislative Council has the ruling BJP in a minority. The Samajwadi Party has 66 members which has come down to 64 after the resignations today. The strength of other parties are BSP-10, BJP-8, Congress-2, RlD-1, Teachers group-5, Independent group-5, Independent-1, Unattached-1 and Vacant - 1.