Amid the rumours of a rift in the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh, state Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Wednesday came down heavily on Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav. Taking to social media platform X, UP Dy CM Maurya took a jibe at Akhilesh by calling him SP 'Bahadur' and said that BJP has a strong organization and government both in the country and the state.
He went on and targeted SP's PDA formula (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) and called it a fraud, Meanwhile, Maurya also claimed that the BJP will repeat the 2017 results in the state assembly elections, poised to be held in 2027. "The return of SP's hooliganism in UP is impossible, BJP will repeat 2017 in the 2027 assembly elections."
Maurya's statement comes at a time when there were rumours of rifts between him and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The rumours started after a statement during a one-day state working committee meeting of the BJP on July 15. Maurya stated in the meeting that he considers himself a BJP worker first then the Deputy Chief Minister. He emphasized that the organisation has always been, is, and will remain supreme.
"Whatever events unfold, they are crafted by the Creator Himself... The punishment given today may turn into a reward tomorrow... Strong support is certain for one's true thoughts... The diligent worker is unaffected by either victory or defeat...The worker is my pride and my honour," Maurya wrote on X.
Maurya meets JP Nadda
Additionally, there have been scores of meetings between the top and state leadership in a couple of days. Earlier in the day, Maurya also met the party's National President Jagat Prakash Nadda. The meeting lasted for almost an hour during which discussions were held around the party and its strategy for upcoming byelections at 10 assembly seats. Both the leaders also discussed the coordination between the government and the organisation.
UP BJP chief meets PM Modi
Meanwhile, BJP state chief Bhupender Chaudhary met Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting of both leaders also lasted for over an hour. During the meeting, Chaudhary briefed PM Modi about the party's poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections. Apart from this, the issue of organization was also discussed. Moreover, in the state, CM Yogi met with his cabinet in Lucknow on Tuesday. The CM has instructed everyone to prepare for the upcoming by-polls and directed all ministers to spend two nights a week in their respective areas of responsibility. He also emphasised selecting "honest and winnable candidates", and stated that candidates who secure tickets through recommendations should not be given preference.
Back-to-back meetings at organisation and government levels ahead of the assembly by-polls suggest that big changes could be made at the state level in the party, especially the state chief could be changed.
ALSO READ | Yogi Adityanath holds Cabinet meeting, gives stern instructions to ministers ahead of bypolls in Uttar Pradesh
