Apna Dal snaps ties with BJP

Lucknow, Jul 7: Apna Dal, led by Union Minister Anupriya Patel's mother Krishna Patel, today snapped ties with BJP accusing the latter of not following the decorum of alliance. "The national executive of Apna Dal has decided to snap ties with BJP as it did not follow the decorum of alliance.

Despite informing about the activities of Anupriya, who was expelled, BJP leaders did not take congnisance of it and did not act," party spokesman RBS Patel said. A meeting of Apna Dal was held here in which party President Krishna Patel announced the decision.

"We will contest 2017 Assembly elections in UP and we are going to hold a rally in Varanasi on August 21," Patel added. Founded in 1995 by Sone Lal Patel, Apna Dal rose to prominence in the 2014 parliamentary elections by aligning with BJP and winning its first two Lok Sabha seats — Mirzapur and Pratapgarh.

After Sone Lal's death in 2009, Krishna was made president of the party, while his younger daughter Anupriya general secretary. Anupriya had won the 2012 assembly election from Rohaniya seat in Varanasi which she vacated this year after getting elected to Lok Sabha.

Due to family feud, Anupriya was expelled by Krishna last year and both of them claimed themselves to be heading Apna Dal, which has two MPs. Anupriya Singh Patel was inducted in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet.

PTI