New Delhi: After Dara Singh Chauhan resigned from the Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday (January 12), Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav wasted no time in welcoming him to the party. 


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Chauhan’s resignation came a day after Swami Prasad Maurya, another prominent Other Backward Class (OBC) leader quit the UP cabinet. 


Taking to Twitter, Yadav wrote in Hindi, "Hearty welcome and greetings to Shri Dara Singh Chauhan ji, the relentless fighter of the struggle for social justice. The SP and its allies will unite and take the movement of equality to its height... Eliminate discrimination! It is our collective resolve! Respect everyone -- space for everyone.”



Chauhan, who served as the Forests and Environment minister, said he had worked with dedication for the past five years but Dalits, the OBCs and the unemployed did not get justice from the BJP government. “It was the poor who had made the government but others took all the advantage in the past five years," PTI quoted him as saying. 


Chauhan is yet to declare his next move. He said he would consult his supporters before deciding on a future course of action. Chauhan represents Madhuban assembly constituency in Mau district. He had joined the BJP in 2015 and was appointed as the saffron party's OBC Morcha president. 


In a bid to coax Chauhan, UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya tweeted urging the MLA to reconsider. "It hurts if any member of the family goes astray, I would only urge the respected leaders that if they ride on a sinking boat, it would be their loss. Big brother Shri Dara Singh ji, you should reconsider your decision," Yogi Adityanath's deputy wrote. 


The development comes in the wake of crucial UP polls. The state will vote in seven phases beginning from February 10. The counting of votes will be done on March 10. 



(With agency inputs)


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