New Delhi: With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on the horizon, political leaders are not only ramping up their rhetoric but also focusing on forging strategic alliances. Informal preparations for the UP elections have already begun, and once again, the name of Swami Prasad Maurya has surfaced in political discourse. The two major parties within the INDIA bloc, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP),d o not appear to be on the same page regarding him.
Amidst speculation about the potential entry of Swami Prasad Maurya, who has previously raised questions about Hinduism and the Ramcharitmanass, into the INDIA bloc, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has made a surprising statement. He has effectively ruled out the possibility of Maurya joining the alliance. This comes shortly after Akhilesh Yadav met with Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and heaped praise upon him, a gesture that had fueled expectations of his closer alignment with the INDIA bloc.
What did Akhilesh Yadav say?
Former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav adopted a stern stance regarding Swami Prasad Maurya. During a press conference at the party office in Lucknow, he remarked, “He is not part of our alliance. Ignore him, avoid him. Silence is golden; he cannot be counted as part of our seat-sharing arrangement.”
Akhilesh Yadav has made it clear that he will not agree to include Swami Prasad Maurya in the INDIA bloc. It remains to be seen what position the Congress party will now take; all eyes are on whether a senior Congress leader will issue a statement on the matter.
Maurya’s Political Journey
Swami Prasad Maurya has held a significant, distinct position in Uttar Pradesh politics. Once a close aide to Mayawati, he later joined the BJP and served as a cabinet minister. He had aligned himself with the BJP ahead of the 2017 Assembly elections, and following the party’s victory, he was appointed as a cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led government.
The BJP also granted a Lok Sabha ticket to his daughter, Sanghmitra Maurya, who was subsequently elected as an MP from Badau. Before the2022 elections, Maurya left the BJP to join the Samajwadi Party. The SP (Samajwadi Party) had initially fielded him as their candidate for the Fazilnagar seat in Kushinagar, but he faced defeat. Subsequently, the SP appointed him as a member of the Legislative Council.
He has previously raised questions regarding the Hindu religion.
It is worth noting that Swami Prasad Maurya remained in the headlines for his remarks on the Hindu religion and the Ramcharitmanas. This was a major reason for the growing rift between him and the SP. While still with the party, he described Sanatan Dharma as a “deception.” The SP, however, dismissed this statement as his personal opinion. He also made comments about the Ramcharitmanas, which led the SP to distance itself from him.
He later resigned from the party by writing a letter to the SP high command. No attempt was made to persuade him to stay. After parting ways with the SP, Swami Prasad Maurya formed his own party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, but it failed to achieve any significant success.
