Dara Singh Chauhan resigns from Adityanath Cabinet over Dalit mistreatment

Dara Singh Chauhan, the Uttar Pradesh forests and environment minister, resigned from the Yogi Adityanath Cabinet on Wednesday, following a slew of resignations from the BJP a day earlier.

Chauhan alleged that the Adityanath government had done little for Dalits and backward classes as he tendered his resignation from his post, and is likely to join the Samajwadi Party (SP) although this has not yet been confirmed.

The former minister attributed his resignation to “the government’s gross neglect of backward classes, Dalits, farmers and unemployed youth, as well as the interference in reservations for backward classes and Dalits.”

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Earlier, on Tuesday, the UP Minister of Labour and OBC leader Swami Prasad Maurya resigned from his post and alleged misgovernance by the Adityanath government, saying, “Despite a divergent ideology, I worked with dedication in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet. But because of the grave oppression of Dalits, OBCs, farmers, unemployed and small businessmen, I am resigning.”

Maurya, who is believed to have a strong following, saw his resignation followed by the resignations of three other BJP MLAs, namely, Roshan Lal Verma, Brijesh Prajapati, and Bhagwati Sagar, all of whom joined Akhilesh Yadav-led SP ahead of the upcoming elections.

Following the slew of resignations on Tuesday, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar, who is an ally of Yadav’s SP, had warned the BJP that further resignations would transpire. “Change is coming to UP. Today Maurya has resigned and 13 MLAs are going with him. In the coming days you will see and more people will quit,” the 81-year-old had said.

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While Home Minister Amit Shah had reportedly tasked Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to convince the defectors to return to the ruling party, it appears that things have not gone according to plan. On Wednesday, reports further claimed that Shah had taken it upon himself to placate disgruntled leaders in light of the resignations to prevent an exodus from the saffron party ahead of the UP Assembly elections in February.