Dharam Singh Saini Becomes Third UP Minister To Resign, MLA Mukesh Verma Too Quits BJP

Dharam Singh Saini Resign: Dharam Singh Saini is the third minister after Swami Prasad Maurya and Dara Singh Chauhan to quit BJP this week.

New Delhi: The exodus of leaders from BJP in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh continued for the third day, with minister and backward caste leader Dharam Singh Saini resigning from the council of ministers on Thursday. 

Saini is the eighth legislator and third minister after Swami Prasad Maurya and Dara Singh Chauhan to quit this week. Saini represented the Nakud Assembly seat and was the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ayush, Food Security and Drug Administration.

After sending his resignation letter to the UP Governor, Dharam Singh Saini returned the security cover and residence allotted to him by the state government, IANS reported.

He also met Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav in the afternoon. Akhilesh Yadav shared a photo with Saini, "welcoming him" into the SP fold.

In his resignation letter, Saini said he was quitting due to "gross neglect" towards Dalits, backwards, farmers, unemployed youth and small traders.

Speaking to reporters, Saini claimed one minister and 3-4 BJP MLAs would resign every day till January 20 in Uttar Pradesh.

"I have resigned because for five years Dalits, backward classes were suppressed, their voices were suppressed...We will do whatever Swami Prasad Maurya will say. One minister and 3-4 MLAs will resign every day till January 20," ANI quoted Saini as saying.

Saini was earlier with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and had joined the BJP in 2016 along with Swami Prasad Maurya.

UP MLA And OBC Leader Mukesh Verma Quits BJP

Earlier in the day, Mukesh Verma, MLA from Shikohabad Assembly constituency in Firozabad, became the seventh legislator to quit the BJP in three days.

In his letter addressed to the state BJP president, Mukesh Verma alleged that the Yogi Adityanath government had failed to address the problems of weaker sections, youths, farmers, Dalits and OBCs. He said small traders and businessmen had suffered in the past five years.

Verma also stated that he would now work under the leadership of Swami Prasad Maurya.

Apart from Verma and Maurya, Dara Singh Chauhan, Roshan Lal Varma, Brijendra Prajapati, Bhagwati Sharan Sagar, Vinay Shakya and Avatar Singh Bhadana resigned from the BJP.

Barring Bhadana, who has joined the RLD, all the other legislators are likely to join the Samajwadi Party on Friday.