Other States - Uttar Pradesh   

Expelled Samajwadi Party MP to join Maya’s party

Allahabad: Facing expulsion from Samajwadi Party after voting against UPA Government during the recent trust vote, MP Ateeq Ahmed has decided to join Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati’s Bahujan Samajwadi Party.

Ateeq, an accused in the BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, conveyed his willingness to State Minister and Mayawati’s close confidante Nasimuddin Siddiqui yesterday when the latter met him in the Naini Central jail here.

After the meeting, Mr. Siddiqui, who was accompanied by a number of party leaders, told media-persons that Ateeq had “extended unconditional support to the BSP and expressed his desire to work for the party.”

“The MP has also given us a letter addressed to party chief Mayawati who will take a final decision in this regard,” the Minister said.

Mr. Siddiqui also said that Ateeq has refuted his alleged involvement in the Raju Pal murder case and hoped that “the truth will come out before the court of law.”

The former SP strongman has been trying to get friendly with the BSP ever since the change of guard in the State. BSP’s victory had led to filing of a number of fresh cases against him and confiscation of his property worth crores.

Having been elected to the Lok Sabha in 2004 on SP ticket, Ateeq’s relations with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav started souring after his defiance of the party’s boycott call during the Presidential elections last year. -- PTI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Expelled Samajwadi Party MP to join Maya’s party
Rahul Gandhi, Digvijay to attend August 28 meet
Juvenile jail inmate dies

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu