Expelled Samajwadi Party legislator Pooja Pal met with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday, days after she was sacked from the party for praising Adityanath in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.
Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party sacked MLA from Chail Assembly constituency in Kaushambi district after she praised Chief Minister Adityanath in the house on August 14 for taking stern action against mafia in the state. Pal was handed over the letter immediately after the speech and was handed over a copy of the expulsion letter while she was in the house, reports said.
Pal met the Uttar Pradesh chief minister at his official residence. Pooja is the wife of Raju Pal, a former BSP MLA from Prayagraj West. Raju was shot dead in an attack linked to gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad, just days after their wedding in January 2005.
Also read
- Is this the opening salvo of rebellion? Bihar rout prompts call for Akhilesh Yadav to replace Rahul Gandhi as INDIA bloc chief
- ‘Insult to Hindus’: BJP blasts Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘why spend money on diyas’ remark
- What does Akhilesh Yadav’s presence in Bihar mean for the larger opposition unity project?
- OBC churn in Uttar Pradesh yet again: Can BJP maintain a fragmented non-Yadav coalition?
Pal thanked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his "zero tolerance" policy against crime. "Everyone knows who murdered my husband. The Chief Minister heard me when no one else did. His zero-tolerance policy led to the killing of criminals like Atiq Ahmed. Today, the entire state looks at him with trust," Pal said while addressing the house.
In the official notice sent to Pal, the party charged that the legislator indulged in anti-party activities and it caused significant damage to the party. "Due to this, she has been expelled from the party with immediate effect and removed from all other posts within the party," it said.