New Delhi: Former Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya launched his new political party on Thursday, February 22. Swami Prsad Maurya has named his new party as Rashtriya Shoshit Samaaj Party (RSSP). The announcement was made in Delhi's Talkatora Stadium. 

While resigning from the Samajwadi Party, Maurya had claimed that he will make the annoucement in Delhi and will address a rally as well. 

Who is Swami Prasad Maurya? 

Swami Prasad Maurya, a five-time MLA, is known for his derogatory remarks about the Ramcharitmanas and the Ayodhya temple consecration ceremony. He resigned from the Samajwadi Party on February 19, following which he also quit the council seat. Maurya was a sitting member of the state legislative council from the Samajwadi Party. 

Maurya had joined the Samajwadi Party from the BJP before the 2022 polls and unsuccessfully contested the assembly polls from Fazilnagar. 

Maurya had earlier switched from Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to the BJP and had served as a labour minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led government between 2017 and 2022.

Swami Prasad Maurya Resigned from Samajwadi Party

Swami Prasad Maurya had resigned from the post of Samajwadi party national general secretary on February 13, accusing the leadership of discriminating against him and not defending him over his controversial statements on the Ramcharitmanas and the Ayodhya temple consecration ceremony.

Following which he resigned from the membership of the party. As he tendered his resignation from the primary membership of the party, Maurya had said that it now on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to decide. 

“I got an opportunity to work with you. But after our talks on February 12 and my resignation (as national general secretary) on February 13, no initiative of any talks with me was taken due to which I am resigning from the primary membership of the party,” Maurya said in a letter to party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

In a separate letter to the chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, Maurya said, “I was elected as a Samajwadi Party member in the legislative council. As I have resigned from the primary membership of the party, I am also resigning as MLC (member of legislative council) on the basis of morality.”

Contention Between Maurya and Samajwadi Party 

There have been several points of contention between the Samajwadi Party and Swami Prasad Maurya. Apart from not defending him over his remarks, Maurya also claimed that the ideology of socialism was not followed while nominating candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls. 

Maurya also questioned the distribution of SP tickets for Rajya Sabha polls, scheduled to take place February 27, for which the party has fielded Ramjilal Suman, Jaya Bachchan and Alok Ranjan, saying that party has not followed its own call for support to the “PDA.” PDA is the acronym given by SP chief Yadav to refer to “Picchde, Dalit, and Alpsankhyak." 

He even questioned the secular character of the party, saying the party held a “Shaligram puja” in its office.