Lucknow, June 22 (IANS): In a major development, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Swamy Prasad Maurya, leader of the opposition in the Uttar Pradesh assembly, quit the party on Wednesday saying he felt "suffocated".
He levelled a slew of charges against party chief Mayawati, saying he was deserting the party because Mayawati was "selling" party tickets.
Mayawati has mortgaged the principles and ideology of the party founded by the late Kanshi Ram, he added.
Maurya, however, thanked Mayawati for giving him plum posts in the party and said he had discussed various issues bothering him with her last year but found that she was not interested in course correction.
A national vice-president of the BSP, Maurya's resignation is seen as a major blow to the Dalit party which is aiming to return to power in the 2017 assembly polls.
Maurya said he will disclose his future strategy in some days.