New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has suspended lawyer Awadhesh Singh, a self-proclaimed believer in the ‘Yogi model’, from the party for allegedly slapping the BJP MLA from Kheri, Yogesh Verma, in what experts say is an attempt to put a lid on a controversy that’s taking a Thakur-versus-OBC turn.
The Rajput Karni Sena has supported Singh, who is Rajput, while the Samajwadi Party (SP) is backing Verma, saying the MLA was “insulted” because he belongs to the PDA group or Pichhde (backward classes), Dalits and Alpsankhyak (minorities).
The action against Singh came after the MLA met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state assembly speaker Satish Mahana. Verma and 37 MLAs from various parties including the BJP and SP met Mahana with a letter, citing a “violation of privilege”.
“It’s good to know that the party has taken action against Awadhesh Singh but an FIR is still not registered against him, which is hurting the sentiments of the Kurmi samaj (caste). Who is stopping the police from registering an FIR?” asked Verma, who is from the Kurmi community.
“This is an attack on democracy. How can anyone attack a public representative and the police be totally mum on this issue? The whole samaj is feeling insulted. I am getting support from all quarters, including the SP,” he told ThePrint.
Singh, who calls himself a supporter of UP CM Yogi Adityanath, joined the RSS in the early 1980s and has been associated with the BJP since then.
He says Verma had been involved in “anti-party activities” for the last couple of years.
He told ThePrint that Verma supported a rebel against his wife during the Nagar Palika municipal polls. His wife was contesting on the BJP’s symbol.
“Similarly now in the cooperative elections, he was trying to postpone the election so we wouldn’t win,” he said.
After the incident, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav took a jibe at the BJP, saying. “The real reason behind the insult to a BJP MLA is that before being a ruling party MLA, he was from the PDA.”
He added that the MLA was an OBC while the person who attacked him was a Thakur.
Experts said the party action against Singh was an attempt at damage control because it can’t afford to lose the Kurmis in the Tarai belt, or the Kheri-Pilibhit region, where they account for over 15 percent of the population.
BJP sources said a major chunk of Kurmi votes went to the SP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Controversy after video went viral
The controversy erupted after Verma was allegedly attacked and beaten during a clash while filing nomination papers for an Urban Cooperative Bank election in Lakhimpur Kheri’s Kotwali area on 9 October. A video purportedly showing the incident went viral on social media.
Police said the incident occurred while filing nomination papers for the posts of the bank’s delegates and chairman.
The group that allegedly attacked Verma was led by Awadhesh Singh, also president of the District Bar Association, whose wife, Pushpa Singh, a former bank chairperson, was contesting the election.
The row took a caste-centric turn when the Rajput Karni Sena extended its full support to Singh. The Karni Sena also announced plans to hold a Kshatriya Mahapanchayat over the issue after Kurmi organisations held protests in support of Verma.
“Our organisation stands in full support of advocate Awadhesh Singh and his wife Pushpa Singh. We demand strict action against MLA Yogesh Verma, whose video of doing indecency is present on social media,” the Rajput Karni Sena said in a statement.
Dozens of the organisation’s functionaries visited Singh’s house to express full support.
‘District administration is biased’
K.K. Verma, a close aide of Verma, alleged that the district administration was biased in favour of Singh.
“The district administration is biased. They stand in favour of Singh but not MLA Verma. This is very unfair. This incident sent a bad message to the OBCs, particularly Kurmis,” Verma said.
“OBC people have closed the market in Kheri in support of Verma. One cannot be taken for granted, as we have a large chunk of votes in this belt,” he added.
A BJP functionary in Uttar Pradesh told ThePrint the chief minister and the Speaker had met Verma and the matter would be “solved soon.”
But opposition parties were not backing down.
“The slapgate incident highlights that goons belonging to the CM’s own caste openly beat an MLA of the BJP who hails from the backward community,” UP Congress general secretary Anil Yadav said.
“This government is anti-backward and anti-Dalit. Even MLAs from these sections are not safe and they talk about sabka saath.”
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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