Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 23 : Days after being expelled from the Samajwadi Party, Chail MLA Pooja Pal addressed a letter to party chief Akhilesh Yadav, accusing him of strengthening criminal elements within the organisation by "insulting and deserting her midway", adding that her ouster was not just a personal matter but also an effort to silence the concerns of the state's backward classes, Dalits, and economically weaker sections.
Pal wrote that her explanation would have given the SC, ST and OBC community people an answer on whether Akhilesh Yadav is truly a protector of the "Pichhde" (backwards), Dalits, and "Alpsankhyak" (minorities) (PDA).
Sharing the letter addressed to Akhilesh Yadav on her X account, the expelled MLA wrote, "My voice against injustice and betrayal! Expulsion from the party is not just about me, but an attempt to suppress the voice of the backwards, Dalit, and poor people of Uttar Pradesh. I have fought and will continue to fight the battle for justice."
Puja Pal added that she joined SP because she believes that it could deliver justice to the backwards community. However, her efforts to seek justice for her husband's murder during the SP government were met with disappointment.
BSP MLA Raju Pal was shot dead in Prayagraj in 2005, days after his wedding with Pooja Pal. In February 2023, Umesh Pal, a key witness to the murder, was shot dead in Prayagraj's Sulem Saray area.
Reiterating her praise for the Uttar Pradesh government under the BJP rule, Pooja Pal stressed that it was during the BJP government that the long-overdue justice was delivered.
Pal further questioned her expulsion from the party, reportedly for voting for a BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections, "when Akhilesh Yadav himself voted for a BJP candidate in the Constitutional Club elections in Delhi just days later". Pal criticised the SP chief for his "arrogance", which made him expel a widow from a backwards community.
The expelled MLA said that she is being subjected to severe trolling on social media and is also receiving life threats. She added that her only aim of receiving justice for her husband's murder is fulfilled, and now, even if she dies, it won't matter.
She ended her letter stating that if anything happens to her, the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav should be held responsible.
Earlier, SP MLA from Chail Pooja Pal was expelled from the Samajwadi Party citing reasons such as engaging in anti-party activities and displaying indiscipline, specifically for praising Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's "zero tolerance policy".
"You have carried out anti-party activities, and even after being warned, you did not stop these activities, due to which the party has suffered a lot. The work done by you is anti-party and a serious act of indiscipline. Hence, you are expelled from Samajwadi Party with immediate effect," read the letter of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav addressed to Pooja Pal.