SP expels MLA Pooja Pal hours after she praises Yogi for ‘reducing mafia to dust'
Atiq, a former MP and MLA, and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three assailants while being escorted by police for a medical check-up in Prayagraj in April 2023.
The SP's expulsion letter read, 'You have carried out anti-party activities and, even after being warned, you did not stop these activities, due to which the party has suffered a lot. The work done by you is anti-party and a serious act of indiscipline. Hence, you are expelled from Samajwadi Party with immediate effect.'
Pal is the widow of former Bahujan Samaj Party MLA Raju Pal who was killed in a 2005 Prayagraj shootout carried out allegedly at the behest of Atiq Ahmed.
Pal, who was handed over the expulsion letter on the Assembly premises itself, maintained that she genuinely wanted to thank the Chief Minister for keeping his words and that her only fault was that she took the name of Atiq Ahmad in the House while conveying her gratitude to Adityanath.
'I did not say anything about the Samajwadi Party. Before becoming an MLA, I was a married woman of just nine days who lost her husband. So when I got a chance to speak on the '2047 vision', I wanted to thank the CM for getting me justice after 18 long years. This was all. Why did it trouble the SP?' she asked.
The SP leadership, she said, will have to make its stand clear whether it is with the families of the Prayagraj shootout victims or with those killed in police encounters.
Carrying the expulsion letter, signed by SP president Akhilesh Yadav, in her hand, she added, 'I have struggled throughout my life. I got associated with the thinking of Akhilesh ji that unlike Mulayam ji he did not like the mafia. But when I got justice, I saw his double standards. When the CM asserted that he would reduce the mafia to dust and actually did it, the SP leaders were in pain.'
Earlier, speaking in the House during the special 24-hour-long debate on 'UP Vision 2047' on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, the Chail legislator said, 'I lost my husband who was a member of this House. The entire House knows how my husband was killed and who all killed him. I want to thank the Chief Minister, who saw my silent tears, which were overlooked by others for ages. He got me justice in a true manner.'
While her statement got a thumping applause from the treasury benches, it left the Samajwadi Party MLAs surprised.
Later, speaking to The Indian Express, one of the SP MLAs, who attended the special session, said, 'It was not really that surprising as she was already moving in that direction.'
Pal had been sulking for a while and even met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Maha Kumbh earlier this year, he said, adding that there were also reports of her supporting the BJP candidate in the Phulpur byelection.
Pooja Pal first became MLA from Allahabad West in 2007 on a BSP ticket and won from the seat again in 2012 but lost in the 2017 election. She, however, joined the Samajwadi Party before the 2022 Assembly polls and was given a ticket from Kaushambi district's Chail constituency from where got elected.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Brajesh Pathak said Pal's expulsion reflected the Samajwadi Party's 'anti-women approach'. 'The expulsion of Pooja Pal for supporting the vision of developed India' in the House on the eve of Independence Day reflects the 'ghatia soch' (cheap mindset) of the Samajwadi Party. The entire House unanimously accepted that the party's policy is anti-women,' he said.
— PTI inputs
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
19 minutes ago
- NDTV
Man Arrested For Sending Bomb-Laden Speaker To Husband Of Woman He Loved
A 20-year-old electrician from Chhattisgarh allegedly planted an improvised explosive device (IED) in a music system speaker and sent it as a gift to the husband of a woman he was infatuated with, police said on Sunday. The accused assembled the IED using online tutorials, designing it to detonate upon being plugged in. His Google search history showed "how to kill a person using a bomb without being caught by police", officials said. With the arrest of the man, the police in Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district have not only foiled a planned murder but also unearthed an explosive smuggling racket which supplied gelatin sticks to the accused, they said. In a similar case in April 2023, a newly married man and his elder brother were killed after a home theatre music system received as wedding gift from his wife's former lover exploded in their house in neighbouring Kabirdham district. In the latest case, the prime accused, Vinay Verma, and six others have been arrested, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district Superintendent of Police (SP) Lakshya Sharma told PTI. The others have been identified as Parmeshwar Verma (25), Gopal Verma (22), Ghasiram Verma (46), Dilip Dhimar (38), Gopal Khelwar and Khilesh Verma (19), as per the police. The conspiracy came to light when a suspicious parcel, neatly gift-wrapped and bearing a fake India Post logo, was delivered three-four days back to a shop in Manpur village under Gandai police station limits. The parcel was addressed to village resident Afsar Khan, the intended target. Finding it suspicious, Khan promptly alerted the police, the official said. A bomb disposal team examined the package and found a 2-kg IED concealed inside a brand-new speaker, the SP said. Technical analysis showed the IED was designed to detonate upon being plugged into a power source. The current would reach a detonator connected to the speaker's wiring, triggering the explosion, the official said. Gelatin sticks were used as the primary explosive, and the speaker's outer casing would act as deadly shrapnel upon detonation, he said. The investigation suggested that Vinay Verma, resident of Kusami village in Khairagarh, allegedly hatched the plot in a bid to murder Khan, the official said. Verma, an electrician, procured the speaker and assembled the IED using online tutorials. His mobile phone's Google search history included "how to kill a person using a bomb without being caught by police", Sharma said. The accused was in one-sided love with Khan's wife since her college days. After she married Khan a few months back, Verma allegedly plotted to eliminate him, he said. Further probe indicated the explosives used in the device had been siphoned off from a stone quarry in Chhattisgarh's Durg district. Durg resident Parmeshwar allegedly paid Rs 6,000 to procure gelatin rods from Gopal and Dilip, also natives of Durg. Ghasiram delivered the explosives, while Khilesh is accused of preparing the fake India Post logo used on the parcel, the official said. Verma, with the help from Gopal, eventually delivered the explosive-laden gift to Khan's shop. Subsequent raids at the premises of Gopal and Dilip in Durg led to the seizure of 60 gelatin sticks and two detonators, he said. The explosives had been illegally diverted from a quarry in Patharia area, whose operator will also be questioned, he said. "This action not only thwarted a planned murder but also exposed a network of illegal explosive supply in the region," Sharma said. Further investigation was underway and strict legal action will be taken against all those involved in the crime, he added.
Indian Express
19 minutes ago
- Indian Express
With uncle Ajit Pawar on stage, Rohit Pawar of NCP (SP) says DyCM is a ‘fast bowler known for delivering yorkers'
Rohit Pawar, a Maharashtra MLA from the Opposition NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar, described Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is also his uncle, on Saturday as a 'fast bowler known for delivering yorkers'. At the same time, he described Jayant Patil, a leader of his party, as a spinner who bowls offspins, leg spins, and googlies. 'If I employ cricket language, then I would say Ajitdada is a fast bowler who is known for delivering yorkers. Ajitdada's speed is such that batters to some extent get scared of his bowling,' the MLA said at the inauguration of the N D Patil Auditorium in Sangli. Ajit Pawar, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, and NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil were among those present at the event. Turning to Chandrakant Patil, Rohit said, 'He sometimes bats, sometimes resorts to bowling.' Speaking about Jayant Patil, the MLA said, 'He sometimes bowls offspins, leg spins, and even googlies. At times, he has bowl in the hand but does not bowl.' Rohit said that Ajit Pawar had pulled him up after he spoke in the Assembly a few years before. 'Ajit Pawar called me up…I thought he would praise me. But he said, 'I want to tell you something important'. He told me to button my shirt properly while delivering the speech. It means he pays minute attention towards me. He thinks more about politics and has forgotten the family.' Responding to Rohit's remarks, Ajit Pawar said, 'He should remember that I gave enough time to the family and that is why he could become an MLA. He should introspect how many votes he secured. He barely scraped through because of postal votes. Therefore, they should do their work, I will do mine.' On the occasion, Rohit Pawar announced Rs 40 lakh for the N D Patil Auditorium and urged both Ajit Pawar and Chandrakant Patil to pledge financial assistance. However, Ajit Pawar told Rohit to 'slow down' and not to 'indulge in theatrics'.
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Pooja Pal Meets Yogi Adityanath Days After Being Ousted From Samajwadi Party
Expelled Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Pooja Pal on Saturday met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his official residence in Lucknow. The meeting comes after Pal was expelled from the Samajwadi Party by Chief Akhilesh Yadav for praising CM Yogi Adityanath during the UP Assembly session. Samajwadi Party expelled her from the party, citing anti-party activities and indiscipline. "You have carried out anti-party activities, and even after being warned, you did not stop these activities, due to which the party has suffered a lot. The work done by you is anti-party and a serious act of indiscipline. Hence, you are expelled from Samajwadi Party with immediate effect," read the letter of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav addressed to Pooja Pal. Earlier, while speaking in the UP Assembly, Pooja Pal, whose husband Raju Pal was shot dead by Atiq Ahmed and his associate, thanked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the zero-tolerance policy against crime that improved law and order in the state. The SP MLA said that the UP CM gave her justice by bringing in policies like zero tolerance that led to the killing of criminals like Atiq Ahmed. Speaking at the Assembly's 24-hour marathon discussion on 'Vision Document 2047,' Pooja Pal said, "Everyone knows who murdered my husband (Raju Pal). I want to thank the Chief Minister for bringing me justice and hearing me when nobody else did. The CM gave justice to many other women like me in Prayagraj by bringing in policies like zero tolerance that led to the killing of criminals like Atiq Ahmed. Today, the entire state looks at the CM with trust," she said. Praising CM Yogi, she said, "Mere pati ke hatyare Atiq Ahmed ko Mukhya Mantri ne mitti mein milaane ka kaam kiya' (The Chief Minister has buried my husband's murderer Atiq Ahmed." She further said," I raised my voice when I saw that no one wanted to fight against criminals like Atiq Ahmed. When I started getting exhausted with this fight, CM Yogi Adityanath gave me justice." BSP MLA Raju Pal was shot dead in Prayagraj in 2005, days after his wedding with Pooja Pal. In February 2023, Umesh Pal, a key witness to the murder, was shot dead in Prayagraj's Sulem Saray area. The expulsion of Pooja Pal for alleged anti-party activities and indiscipline drew sharp criticism from several Uttar Pradesh ministers, who accused the party of being intolerant of differing views and disrespectful towards women.
