The Samajwadi Party’s Rajya Sabha member Sukhram Singh Yadav has met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath here, triggering speculations he might switch over to the BJP.
During the meeting at chief minister’s residence here on Thursday, Mr Yadav was accompanied by his family including son Mohit, who had recently joined the BJP.
On being asked about the purpose of the meeting, the MP told PTI Friday that since he could not meet Yogi Adityanath after his swearing-in ceremony in March, he had gone to congratulate him now.
But, political circles here are agog with speculations that the senior SP leader, who has some differences with party president Akhilesh Yadav, was preparing to crossover to the BJP.
Mr Yadav, however, dismissed such talks. “I don’t see any strength in these speculations.” The meeting assumes significance also because Mr Yadav’s Rajya Sabha term is going to end soon and he might be hoping to get another stint through the saffron party. Mr Yadav trashed these suggestions too. “The meeting with the Uttar Pradesh chief minister was good,” he said. “Since, I could not meet the Chief Minister after the elections and the oath-taking ceremony, I met him yesterday (Thursday), and congratulated him.” The 70-year-old Mr Yadav had served as the chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council from 2004-10. He became a Rajya Sabha MP from the Samajwadi Party on July 5, 2016.
“I have already said earlier that there are a few differences between me and the party leadership,” Mr Yadav asserted.
“The difference is that it was said by Akhilesh (Yadav) ji during the party feud (in 2016) that netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) will be made the national president of the party after the 2017 elections,” he said.
