What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
LUCKNOW: UP cooperative minister Mukut Bihari Verma, an MLA from Kaiserganj in Bahraich, has called for caution on inducting any outsiders from two regional parties of the state saying “most of them are opportunists who defect in search of police security, state homes and free servants” even as he trashed his own speculation of defecting to Samajwadi Party (SP).
He spoke to The New Indian on the sidelines of Yogi ministers Dara Singh Chauhan (environment and forests) and S P Maurya (labour and employment), both of whom are non-Yadav OBCs that constitute more than 37% in the state, quitting the UP government to join SP.
Verma, who also belongs to prominent non-Yadav OBC community, said he owes his selection as a cabinet minister to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath. He said the OBC community’s welfare has been paramount for the BJP at Centre and state.
“I quite don’t understand the lies Maurya and Chauhan are spreading on the prospects of OBC or Dalits. These were outsiders who came when BJP was riding high on success of 2014 wave and then looked strong in 2017. It’s time we become cautious of such men and their inductions. Of course there can’t be a written agreement. But people of UP would always know the intentions of such outsiders who once worked for SP and BSP. It’s the BJP government that brought 27% OBC and 10% EWS quota in medical institutions. Were these ministers ever responsible for their welfare when they were with their previous parties,” Bihari told The New Indian.
He was campaigning in his constituency for the BJP.
He blamed the “paid media” for queering the BJP’s candidate announcement by planting stories of rift within the party.
“These are fabricated stories being planted against me and many others. I was the regional president of Awadh region under whose watch we fought 2017 elections and won handsomely. I blame the paid media behind these speculations for troubling my career. I don’t know whether they are being paid by SP or Congress. I have only one belongingness that is in the BJP,” he said.
Overall , eight MLAs including three ministers have deserted the BJP during last 48 hours amid possibilities that tickets were being denied to them in the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA Naresh Saini and Samajwadi Party MLA Hari Om Yadav joined the BJP in the national capital on Wednesday. Saini and Yadav are both from backward castes. The move came amid BJP’s attempt to strengthen what looked weakening popularity among OBCs.
Former SP MLA Dharmpal Singh also joined the BJP in Delhi. These inductions were overseen by UP deputy chief minister Keshav Maurya and BJP state president Swatantra Dev Singh
The ruling BJP has a head start in the 2022 elections, with Keshav Maurya as party’s prominent OBC face in the state and Swatantra Dev, who too is a Kurmi Patel.
The other allies which include Kurmi-dominated Apna Dal and Nishad Party, have only added more firepower to the BJP since 2014 and 2019 to consolidate the most backward classes (MBCs).
