Swami Prasad Maurya likely to launch new party after quitting Samajwadi Party
Swami Prasad Maurya likely to launch new party after quitting Samajwadi Party
Swami Prasad Maurya is poised to launch a new party, the Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party, with expectations of attracting former Samajwadi Party members and potentially posing a challenge to Akhilesh Yadav.
Swami Prasad Maurya, who resigned as the Samajwadi Party’s national general secretary last week, is likely to announce a new party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, sources said.
The 70-year-old leader, whose recent comments courted multiple controversies, is likely to launch a new party, namely the Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party, on February 22 at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi.
According to sources, along with Maurya, several former MLAs and leaders directly associated with the Samajwadi Party and prominent Muslim figures may also join Maurya’s rally on Thursday.
Though the Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party was formally constituted in 2013 by Saheb Singh Dhangar in Aligarh, the party led by Dalit and OBC leaders failed to make a mark in electoral politics. With Maurya’s entry at the helm, observers anticipate a possible revival of the outfit, which could even pose a challenge to Akhilesh Yadav’s party in the Lok Sabha polls.
The party may also unveil its new flag at the meeting, which will feature a tricolour design with blue at the top, red in the middle, and green at the bottom. It will also include a symbol of three leaves with “RSSP” written in the middle.
A member of the Uttar Pradesh state legislative council from the SP, Maurya had joined the Samajwadi Party from the BJP before the 2022 polls and unsuccessfully contested the assembly elections from Fazilnagar.
Recently, he made controversial statements regarding the Ramcharitmanas and the Ayodhya temple consecration ceremony, which drew significant criticism from within the Samajwadi Party, including from senior leaders like Dimple Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav.
Upon resigning from his party post, Maurya mentioned that the SP leaders were “disowning” his remarks.
The rift between Akhilesh Yadav and Swami Prasad Maurya widened when the Samajwadi Party chief recently suggested that Maurya had joined the SP for personal gain.
Responding to this remark, Swami Prasad Maurya stated on Monday, “He is not in power in the state or the centre. He is not in a position to offer anything. I will return everything he has given to me until now. Ideology is important to me, not position. The rights and welfare of all sections are my priority, and whenever they are threatened, I will raise my voice.”