Akhilesh Yadav expels MLA 'for indiscipline' after she praises Yogi for justice in husband’s murder

Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Pooja Pal was expelled from the party on Thursday following her public praise of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for delivering justice in her husband’s murder case. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, in an official statement, cited her engagement in “anti-party activities and serious indiscipline” and said she was “immediately expelled” and barred from participating in any future party programs.

During a 24-hour debate on ‘Vision Document 2047’ in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Pooja Pal thanked Yogi Adityanath for listening to her when “no one else did” and credited the Chief Minister’s zero-tolerance policy against crime for bringing her justice. She stated, “The Chief Minister gave justice to many other women like me in Prayagraj by bringing in policies like zero tolerance that led to the killing of criminals like Atiq Ahmed. Today, the entire state looks at him with trust.”

Raju Pal, Pooja Pal’s husband and former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator, was shot dead in Prayagraj on January 25, 2005, just days after his marriage. His murder was linked to political rivalry with gangster Atiq Ahmed’s brother, Ashraf, whom Raju had defeated in the 2004 bypoll for the Prayagraj West seat. In February 2023, Umesh Pal, a key witness in the case, was also shot dead in Prayagraj’s Sulem Saray area.

Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf were arrested for Raju Pal’s murder but were later shot dead on April 15, 2023, while being taken for a medical check-up in Prayagraj. The killings were captured on camera. Earlier, Atiq Ahmed’s son, Asad, had also been killed in an alleged encounter in Jhansi. Seven individuals were later convicted by a CBI court in 2024 for criminal conspiracy and murder in connection with Raju Pal’s killing, including charges under the Indian Arms Act.

A judicial commission investigating the gangsters’ deaths ruled out pre-planned conspiracy or police negligence. The state government informed the Supreme Court that it was “leaving no stone unturned to ensure a fair and impartial investigation” into the killings. Pooja Pal told the assembly, “When I started feeling exhausted with this fight, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gave me justice,” highlighting the role of law enforcement in her husband’s murder case.