Lucknow,

17 Aug (HS): Pooja Pal, a Chail MLA who was recently expelled by the Samajwadi

Party for anti-party actions, met with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi

Adityanath at his official house in Lucknow. On Saturday night, both the chief

minister's office and the MLA announced the meeting on the microblogging site

X.

Pooja

Pal, MLA of Chail assembly seat in Kaushambi district, paid a courtesy call to

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow today, according to a post in Hindi

from Yogi Adityanath's office. Pal, who shared an image of the encounter, wrote

in Hindi, I once again thank the honourable chief minister. Under his

guidance, thugs and mafias are given their proper position, which is critical

for a modern society.”

Pal

stated in another X post on Sunday, There are those individuals who

constantly remark on my personal life and write about it. I don't mind if they write, but they should

write the truth because I ran in poll from their party, they are the once who

know everything. They were aware that I had lost the 2017 election. Seeing this as a chance, several politicians,

including Atiq Ahmed (a gangster-turned-politician who was shot dead in 2023)

and my maternal family, who wanted to run for MLA, began trying to terminate my

political career. I was unable to pursue

Raju Pal's (her husband's) case. Atiq

Ahmed orchestrated a plot against me, with members of my own family complicit, she

said in the lengthy post.

She

further stated that when Atiq was killed, her brothers took up her cause. They

advised me to marry since they are with me. However, until a few days after my

marriage did I discover the reality. These same people were sitting someplace,

discussing how the case against Atiq would soon be closed. But I'm not backing down. Pal also stated

that she had sought for divorce.

When

I expressed the truth in assembly, despite knowing everything, they devised a

plot to ruin my reputation and continued to write about my personal life, she

said. Even now, the people's faith and affection are with me. My city's

(Prayagraj) West and Chail residents are fully aware of my grief. That is why

their support remains with me. Out of

dread of this, some'samajwadis' are employing various techniques to destroy my

image, she continued.

Pooja

Pal was shown the door by Samajwadi Party on Thursday, only hours after

praising Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the Assembly for reducing to

dust gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, who was charged with killing

her husband Raju Pal in 2005. Pal stated during a 24-hour special discussion on

'Vision 2047' during the Assembly's ongoing monsoon session that the current

government's anti-crime efforts had brought her husband's murderers to justice.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi