Happy that Swami Prasad Maurya left, says Mayawati

Lashing out at Swami Prasad Maurya, who quit BSP on Wednesday, BSP supremo Mayawati said that he has done a favour by quitting the party and that he didn’t rise above nepotism. Mayawati said that the party was happy that Maurya left, otherwise they would have asked him to leave.

She said, "Swami Prasad Maurya has done great favour to BSP by quitting the party." Maurya quit the party today, saying he felt “suffocated” and accused its chief Mayawati of “auctioning” tickets for next year’s Assembly polls.

Maurya, who is the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, left BSP amid speculation that he might join the ruling Samajwadi Party and could be made a minister when Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav expands his Council of Ministers on June 27.

“I feel suffocated and cannot continue in the party any more,” he said at a hurriedly-convened press conference here.