Upset over denial of party ticket, BJP MP from Hardoi Anshul Verma on Wednesday joined the Samajwadi Party in the presence of party chief Akhilesh Yadav and senior leader Azam Khan.

Verma said he had tendered his resignation as ‘chowkidaar’ (watchman) at the BJP office in Lucknow on Wednesday and also gave him a day’s pay.

Speaking to reporters at the Samajwadi Party office, Verma, who hails from the Pasi community, said, “How many of you can say that you are making your children ‘chowkidaar’? I was told (by the BJP) that you did not write ‘chowkidar’ on your wall. Jenab, I want to say one thing. Vikas kiya hai, vikas karenge. Chowkidar nahi, Anshul hi ban kar rahenge…(Will continue working towards development, instead of becoming a watchman, we will become radiant).”

“I gave my resignation to a chowkidar at the state office. I could not do much but gave him a day’s salary,” Verma added.

Asked if he will contest the Lok Sabha polls on an SP ticket, Verma said he has joined the party “unconditionally” and is willing to take up any role the party assigns to him.

Verma also criticised the BJP for denying him a ticket and said that it was done because “he is not an upper caste person.”

He said he had recently objected to the distribution of liquor on the premises of a temple in Hardoi by BJP worker and had even written a letter to UP chief ministerYogi Adityanath for the desecration but no action was taken in the matter.

First Published: Mar 28, 2019 11:37 IST