Major gaffe: UP BJP minister calls Mayawati's rule better
What's the story
In a major embarrassment to the Adityanath government, his cabinet minister Swami Prasad Maurya hailed the governance of Mayawati. According to him, CBI probe in the Unnao rape case, whose prime accused is BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, could have been avoided if the police acted properly. Realizing his gaffe, Maurya retracted his statement, he said he meant BSP governance was better than SP's.
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Maurya later says Mayawati was neck deep in corruption
Maurya reportedly said, "Ms Mayawati would keep a close watch on officials and would make sure that her instructions are followed. In Yogi government, the officials do not follow instructions of the ministers and act on their own." Taking a U-turn later, Maurya said Mayawati was neck deep in corruption too and insisted, "The law and order in BJP government is also good."
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Not the first cabinet minister to criticize Yogi government
This is not the first time a cabinet minister of Yogi Adityanath slammed governance in the state. Om Prakash Rajbhar, an NDA ally, had earlier accused the state government of corruption and inefficiency in governance. Notably, Maurya had drifted from BSP in 2016 to join BJP. Back then, he had alleged Mayawati of being disloyal to BR Ambedkar's principles.