By IANS,
Lucknow : In what is seen as a retaliation for the Samajwadi Party poaching away her party legislators, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Thursday managed to win over its legislator Sandhya Katheria, who switched loyalties to the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party.
The move came barely a day after BSP legislator Krishna Kumar Singh crossed over to the Samajwadi Party, that had earlier too managed to woo two other ruling party legislators over the past six months.
What has come as a personal setback for Mulayam, Katheria had won two elections to the state assembly from the Kishni constituency that falls under the SP supremo’s parliamentary constituency of Mainpuri.
The move has clearly jolted the Samajwadi Party leadership. Mulayam Singh, who was in Delhi, rushed back to Lucknow Thursday afternoon, soon after news about Katheria’s defection came.
Addressing mediapersons, Katheria said: “I took the decision to leave the Samajwadi Party simply because I realized that there was no room in that party for a Dalit like me. Samajwadi Party is apparently only bothered about furthering the interests of its own leader’s family and they cannot think beyond that.”
“The atmosphere inside SP had become too suffocating, therefore I chose to say good-bye to the party and join the BSP, which is the only party to safeguard the interests of the Scheduled Castes,” she said.
She, however, declined to answer any questions, saying “no comments” to repeated queries by reporters.