The flurry of resignations from Yogi Adityanath cabinet continued for the second day when Forest Minister Dara Singh Chauhan tendered his resignation on Wednesday, charging the Bharatiya Janata Party government of oppressive attitude towards Backwards and Dalits.
Singh is the second OBC (Other Backward Classes) minister to quit the Yogi cabinet after UP Labour Minister Swami Prasad Maurya put in his papers on Tuesday.
"I worked with dedication but I am resigning as I am hurt by this government's oppressive attitude towards the Backwards, deprived sections, Dalits, farmers and unemployed youth and the neglect of quota for the Backwards and Dalits," Chauhan wrote in his resignation letter, using almost the same language as Swami Prasad Maurya.
As expected, Singh is also likely to join the Samajwadi Party, an indication of which was given by Akhilesh Yadav, who tweeted a picture with Dara Singh Chauhan on Wednesday, which read, “Party will welcome those who are determined to restore the pride of Dalits and Backwards.”
Later, in a statement issued in Lucknow, Dara Singh Chauhan said that in the last five years Dalits, Backwards and unemployed faced the brunt of the government.
“I tried to raise my voice against the exploitation of Backwards but I was ignored. Even the party high command did not listen to me. For the last five years I was praying for my mukti and today I am happy that I am out of that bondage,” he said.
In reference to the shocking exodus from the government, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya posted a tweet urging Chauhan to reconsider the move.
"If any family member strays, it is very sad. I can only appeal to the respected leaders who are going, please don't get on a sinking ship or it will be their loss. Big brother Dara Singh, please reconsider your decision," Maurya posted.
These recent and unexpected resignations have blown a big dent to the BJP's OBC leadership before the assembly election where the party's main challenger is Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party and the votes of Backwards are critical.
A native of eastern UP, Dara Singh Chauhan joined the BJP after quitting Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party in 2015. He was a BSP MP from 2009 to 2014. When he joined the BJP, he was made the national president of the party’s OBC unit.
The slew of resignations from the government and the BJP started on Tuesday with Swami Prasad Maurya delivering the first blow, followed by four MLAs -- Roshan Lal Verma, Brijesh Prajapati, Bhagwati Sagar, and Vinay Shakya. All these dissident leaders are likely to join the Samajwadi Party on January 14.
Soon after quitting the cabinet, Maurya had claimed that he would make a decision after meeting his supporters and added, “Wait till January 14 and you will know how many people are joining with me.”