UP Election 2022: 7th BJP MLA Mukesh Verma resigns, may join SP

Lucknowm Jan 13: BJP MLA and backward caste leader Mukesh Verma resigned from the saffron party today, alleging 'lack of respect' by the government towards backward classes and Dalits. Mukesh is the seventh BJP leader to have resigned over the last three days.

"The BJP government in the past five years did not pay any attention to Dalits, backward castes and minorities and disrespected people's representatives," Verma wrote in his resignation letter.

"The state government has oppressed Dalits, backward castes. Farmers, unemployed youth and small and medium industries. Because of these policies I am quitting the party . Swami Prasad Maurya is the voice of the oppressed and our leader. I am with him," the MLA said.

Since the voices of the backward classes, Dalits, unemployed youth, traders of medium and small scale industries and shopkeepers among others are being ignored, I am resigning from the primary membership of the party, Verma stated in a letter to BJP state president Swatantra Dev Singh.

He said he will continue the 'fight for justice' under Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader Swami Prasad Maurya.

Maurya, after resigning from the Yogi Adityanath-led cabinet on Tuesday, had alleged ''gross neglect'' by the BJP towards Dalits, backward classes, farmers, unemployed youth and small traders.

Verma, also an OBC leader, also sent a copy of the letter to the party's national president JP Nadda.

There are speculations that he will join the Samajwadi Party (SP). In the recent past, Verma had met SP leaders amid rumours that the BJP would not field him in the upcoming polls.

Avtar Singh Bhadana, Brijesh Kumar Prajapati, Roshan Lal Varma, Bhagwati Sagar and Vinay Shakya are the five other leaders that quit the BJP in the last 36 hours.