Rebel BSP MLAs reluctant to join SP at this juncture in UP

Lucknow:The rebel Uttar Pradesh BSP MLAs who met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday are in a dilemma over joining the new party at this moment.

Right now, the prime objective of the rebel MLAs is to avoid disqualification from the Assembly membership on the grounds of defection. Some of them are trying to form a new party and later merge it with the SP, while some are in touch with the BJP and also their parent party.

The sharp attack on the SP by BSP chief Mayawati for the last two days added to the discomfiture of the rebels.

Mayawati attacked SP president Akhilesh Yadav for wooing the suspended BSP MLAs by terming the party ''anti-Dalits''.She also said had the SP been even a little honest towards these suspended MLAs, it would not have kept them in limbo till now.

Meanwhile, SP sources here on Thursday said Akhilesh Yadav has given a broad hint that his party is willing to accommodate five rebel BSP MLAs and give them party tickets for the 2022 Assembly elections, provided they formally join the party.

The rebels, despite the assurance, are unwilling to join the Samajwadi Party. While one faction is trying to mobilise the 11 MLAs to form a new party, some are still in touch with BSP for a patch-up, provided they are accommodated in the party with honour and are given tickets for the next assembly elections.

Mayawati continues her attack on SP

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati continued her tirade against Samajwadi Party (SP) on Thursday after several of her suspended rebel MLAs met latter's party president Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow on Tuesday.

Ms Mayawati has lashed out once again at both SP and Akhilesh Yadav, stating that the party is in such a terrible condition that MLAs who have now been expelled from BSP are being asked to join the cycle-party by Akhilesh himself just to 'remain in the media.'

The BSP chief took to Twitter on Thursday and wrote: "The condition of SP has become so bad that in order to remain in the media, even former MLAs and small workers, etc., who have become ineffective in their area and expelled from their party, are being called by the SP chief himself, asking them to join his party."

In the next tweet, she added, "It seems that the SP chief is no longer having faith in his local leaders, while enquiring such people along with other parties, especially from the SP, only the right people are included in the BSP which is well known."

On Wednesday, the BSP supremo too had lambasted SP for trying to portray a split in her party and had tweeted, "The Samajwadi Party, which is an expert in narrow politics of despicable manipulations, malice, and casteism, is publicizing through the media that some BSP MLAs are breaking away to join the SP. This is an intense illusion."

The 9 expelled BSP MLAs in question are namely Hakim Lal Bind, Vandana Singh, Ramveer Upadhyay, Anil Kumar Singh, Aslam Raini, Aslam Ali, Mujtaba Siddiqui, Hargovind Bhargava, and Sushma Patel who had been expelled ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls in October 2020 as they were accused of collaborating with SP in a bid to defeat BSP's candidate Ramji Gautam.

On Tuesday, at least five MLAs, who were suspended by the BSP last year, had met Akhilesh Yadav, triggering speculation that they may join his party.

After meeting Mr Yadav, one of the expelled MLAs, Aslam Raini told reporters that the rebels will form a separate party ahead of the 2022 UP elections and that had met the Vidhan Sabha Speaker to discuss the formation of the new party and informed that Lalji Verma, a legislator who was also recently expelled from BSP would be its chief.

The Assembly elections is scheduled for early next year. The tenure of Yogi Adityanath-led government will end in May next year.(UNI)