Former chief of Hindu Yuva Vahini and once a protégé of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Sunil Singh joined the Samajwadi Party in the presence of party chief Akhilesh Yadav and patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav at the SP office in Lucknow on Saturday.
Besides, some Bahujan Samaj Party leaders also joined the SP on Saturday.
Singh had met Akhilesh Yadav a week ago and decided to join the party along with his supporters.
Singh along with some others were expelled from HYV, formed by Yogi Adityanath in 2002, on charges of indiscipline in 2017. He had then formed a splinter outfit and declared himself as its national president.
Welcoming Singh and others into the SP fold, Akhilesh said, “The days of Yogi government are numbered and the countdown has already begun. This BJP government has slapped cases against opposition leaders for protesting against its policies.”
“The Bharatiya Janata Party is only promoting communalism and creating a Hindu-Muslim divide. I am happy that HYV workers are with the SP now and they will expose the true face of the BJP,” Akhilesh said.
After joining the SP, Singh said, “The BJP has deceived the people of the state, from farmers to common man to youth and everyone is feeling cheated today. It is high time we get rid of the BJP and its misrule in the state. The people of Uttar Pradesh and especially the youths still have confidence in the young and able leadership of Akhilesh Yadav and I along with all office-bearers (of my outfit across the state) have joined Samajwadi Party.”
On the occasion, Mulayam Singh Yadav termed the youth as the future of the SP and said that farmers, youth and traders had to be strengthened to make India a developed country.
Singh’s shift of loyalty assumes significance as the HYV was founded to promote ‘Hindutva and nationalism’ and it played a significant role in shaping Yogi Adityanath’s political rise in UP.
But signs of strains were noticed when some ambitious HYV members sought to contest Assembly polls, a demand rejected by the BJP, triggering massive resentment within the outfit.
Singh was removed from the HYV in January, 2017 ahead of the UP Assembly elections after he threatened to field HYV candidates against BJP nominees to protest the denial of tickets.
In March, 2017, Yogi Adityanath became the chief minister and within a year, the HYV split as the conflict between the duo intensified and Singh formed Hindu Yuva Vahini (Bharat) along with several other HYV rebels.
Singh was also slapped with National Security Act (NSA) in 2018 and jailed for his alleged involvement in violence in Gorakhpur.
It was from this point that Singh’s proximity to Samajwadi Party started growing. Singh wanted to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Gorakhpur as a candidate of Hindustan Nirman Dal launched by Pravin Togadia (former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader), but his candidature was rejected by the returning officer of Gorakhpur on technical ground during scrutiny.
