Lucknow, Jun 24 (PTI) Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday took a dig at the rebel MLAs who were expelled from the party, saying their removal had resolved the "technical issue" preventing them from becoming ministers in the BJP government.
Speaking to reporters at the SP headquarters here, Yadav said in a sarcastic tone that three of the party’s MLAs — Abhay Singh, Rakesh Pratap Singh and Manoj Kumar Pandey — had been expelled to clear the way for their induction as ministers.
"Actually, they had a technical issue. They were not able to become ministers because they were our MLAs. We have resolved that technical issue. Now they can become ministers," he said.
Yadav further quipped, "Now you will ask why only three were expelled and not the others? Everyone wants to become a minister and everyone was assured. When these three become ministers, we will resolve the technical issue for the rest too. It is now the BJP’s responsibility to make them ministers soon."
The SP on Monday expelled three of its MLAs — Abhay Singh from Gosaiganj, Rakesh Pratap Singh from Gauriganj and Manoj Kumar Pandey from Unchahar — for allegedly rebelling against the party and voting in favour of the ruling (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha elections held in February last year.
Apart from them, SP MLAs Rakesh Pandey, Vinod Chaturvedi, Pooja Pal and Ashutosh Maurya had also allegedly cross-voted, while Maharani Devi, wife of jailed former minister Gayatri Prajapati and an SP MLA, remained absent from the voting. The party has not taken action against her yet.