Lucknow, Sept 06: At least 12 MLAs in the breakaway BSP group, Loktantrik Bahujan Samaj Party, including the controversial Amar Mani Tripathi, were ministers in the Mayawati government. Tripathi, whose alleged affair with slain poetess Madhumita Shukla, created a political storm in the state compelling Mayawati to sack him from her ministry and order a CBI probe into the incident. The list also includes former congress legislators, who broke away from their parent party to form Akhil Bharatiya Congress Dal (ABCD) and later merged with BSP and were duly rewarded ministerial berths. It also includes Qazim Ali Khan, Rajpal Tyagi, Vinod Kumar Singh and Jaiveer Singh, all ministers in Mayawati government. Three legislators of four-member Apna Dal, who had joined BSP, were also among the 37 legislators who formed LBSP.

Haji Yaqub, who was appointed spokesman of the LBSP, was a Minister of State in the Mayawati government.

Virendra Singh, a Thakur by caste, who won bye-election from Chiraigaon recently on BSP ticket, was part of the splinter congress group which formed Loktantrik Congress Party (LCP) and supported the BJP-led governments and in recognition of the help was made minister.

This time he joined BSP, but left the same to join the LBSP.


Bureau Report