Lucknow, July 2: Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated on Sunday that after the BJP and the Apna Dal (Sonelal) joined forces, Uttar Pradesh was free of the “divisive forces” of the SP and BSP, as he made a forceful plea for the consolidation of backward caste votes in the state ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The senior BJP politician made the statements while speaking at a gathering in honour of late Kurmi (backward caste) leader Sonelal Patel, the father of union minister Anupriya Patel. Shah emphasised the BJP-Apna Dal (Sonelal) alliance’s performance, stating that it had won four elections in the state since 2014, and criticised the Congress, BSP, and SP.
He said that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has the most MPs from the OBCs, SCs, and STs, and he outlined efforts made by the Modi government to help these populations.
“Sonelal Patel worked hard to bring happiness into the lives of poor people from various sections by uniting them. He was imprisoned and even tortured, but he did not abandon his campaign for the underprivileged. It is a matter of joy that the path shown by Sonelal Patel has been taken forward by sister Anupriya ji in continuing to work for the backward people,” he added.
In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and Apna Dal (S) have contested four elections jointly, winning two Lok Sabha elections (in 2014 and 2019) and two assembly elections (in 2017 and 2022), he noted. “As a result, UP has completely rid itself of divisive forces (‘vighatankaari shaktiyon’) like the SP and BSP,” Shah remarked.
According to the union Home Minister, “numerous measures have been taken over the last nine years of the Modi government to bring about a change in the lives of the poor, particularly the backward community. After independence, the BJP and NDA formed the first council of ministers, with 27 ministers from the backward community. The NDA (National Democratic coalition) has the most OBC, SC, and ST MPs elected in any coalition.?
“The Congress, SP, and BSP were either in power or partners in power, but they never worked to give the backward class commission constitutional status. “They never formed commissions like the ones for Dalit or tribal (‘adivasi’) brothers. Modi ji worked to give the OBC Commission constitutional status, paving the way for the backward class’s development,” Shah remarked.
According to the BJP representative, the peace and order situation in UP has improved, and the state is attracting industrial investment under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
“The schemes for the poor that Modi ji sent are being implemented by the UP administration,” he continued.
In an appeal to Apna Dal (S) workers, Shah stated that they “must once again ensure that Apna Dal (S), BJP, and NISHAD party win on all seats in UP” in the impending 2024 Lok Sabha elections. In a speech to the gathering, Apna Dal (Sonelal) head and union minister Anupriya Patel claimed Shah was instrumental in their partnership.
“The BJP and Apna Dal (S) have contested four elections together since 2014, and it is an old alliance. Amit Shah played a critical part in this. You showed us love, respect, and guidance,” she remarked.
Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, also addressed on the occasion. Among those in attendance were Deputy president Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, UP BJP president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, and union Minister Ramdas Athawale.
Sonelal Patel started Apna Dal in 1995. Sonelal Patel, who was born on July 2, 1950 in Bagulihai village in Kannauj district, was a close friend of BSP founder Kanshi Ram. In 2009, he was killed in a car accident. Fissures inside Apna Dal became public for the first time in October 2014, when its then-national general secretary Anupriya Patel was ousted from her position.
Later, two Apna Dal sections joined forces with competing groups led by the BJP and the Samajwadi Party. Anupriya Patel is one of two MPs from Apna Dal (Sonelal) and 13 MLAs. Her spouse, Ashish Patel, is UP MLC and a cabinet member in Uttar Pradesh’s BJP-led government. Her mother Krishna Patel and elder sister Pallavi Patel lead a competing faction that defeated Keshav Prasad Maurya in the Sirathu assembly election in 2022.
