40 Thakur legislators announce formation of ‘kutumb parivar'
The gathering, held on Monday evening at a five-star hotel, included MLAs and MLCs, mostly from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Two Samajwadi Party rebels – MLAs Rakesh Pratap Singh and Abhay Singh – and the lone BSP MLA Uma Shankar Singh also took part in the meeting, the sources added.
Organised by BJP MLA from Kundarki Assembly segment, Ramveer Singh, and Moradabad MLC Jaipal Singh Vyast, according to posters put up at the venue, the meeting assumes significance amid the perceived discontent among Thakurs, especially after the ruling BJP denied tickets to several community leaders to accommodate candidates from other castes in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
An otherwise influential caste group, the community has nearly 50 MLAs in the 403-member State Assembly at present. Out of them, 43 were elected on BJP tickets in the 2022 Assembly poll.
While the legislators who participated in the gathering described it as a courtesy meeting, 'more like a family function', the development is being seen as a show of strength amid growing murmurs of brewing discontentment.
Talking to The Hindu, Mr. Vyast dismissed the rumblings, saying, 'It [the gathering] was largely a non-political get-together and was not limited to any particular caste... MLAs from various social groups participated in it.'
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