Lucknow, Aug 22 (IANS) Rebel Uttar Pradesh MLA Pooja Pal, recently expelled from the Samajwadi Party (SP), on Friday launched a blistering attack on party president Akhilesh Yadav, holding him directly responsible if any harm comes to her life.

Pal said, “If I am murdered, the real culprit will be Akhilesh Yadav. My husband was killed in broad daylight, and instead of standing with us, the SP shielded the criminals. Today, I am receiving threats and I fear the same fate.”

Pal, a two-time MLA who won independently before contesting on an SP ticket in her third election, accused the party leadership of double standards and caste bias.

“I believed Akhilesh Yadav would fight against criminals and deliver justice, but the reality was the opposite. In SP, backwards, extremely backwards and Dalits are treated as second-class citizens. Only Muslims are considered first-class, even if they are hardened criminals,” she alleged.

Recalling the brutal killing of her husband, Raju Pal, in Prayagraj, she said: “He was chased and gunned down on the streets, and later bullets from an AK-47 were fired inside the hospital. Even then, Akhilesh Yadav did nothing to ensure justice or dignity for the family. Instead, the SP and the Saifai family always stood by the murderers. It was only under the BJP government that the culprits were punished.”

Pal also hit out at her expulsion from the party for allegedly voting in favour of the BJP candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections.

“If I was expelled for supporting the BJP candidate, then Akhilesh Yadav should explain why he and his wife have voted for BJP candidates in the past. When they do it, it’s not a crime, but when I thank those who delivered justice for my husband’s killers, I am expelled. This is nothing but betrayal of the backwards and Dalits,” she said.

The Prayagraj MLA further alleged that SP workers routinely abuse and threaten her on social media.

“If I am murdered, the government must hold Akhilesh Yadav and his party directly accountable,” she said.

“I am a daughter of the extremely backward caste. I have never bowed before criminals, and I never will. Nari Shakti never loses. I will fight and win again,” she added.

Pooja Pal was expelled from the Samajwadi Party during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly session after she openly praised Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Following her expulsion, she met CM Yogi and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, fuelling speculation about her next political move.

–IANS

skp/dan