Talking exclusively to TOI and in detail about the family infighting, which finally culminated in her father’s resignation from the BJP, Riya said, “My uncle (Devesh Shakya) has put my grandmother in the forefront and made my father resign. Just imagine why would a person, who cannot even contest an election because he is medically unfit, resign from a party?”
Vinay Shakya suffered a brain stroke on May 1, 2018 and underwent a surgery later. Since then, he has not been keeping well. His daughter said Vinay Shakya is unable to think, understand or even write.
Though it has not been confirmed, there are rumours that Vinay may join Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party (SP). Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) spokesperson Rohit Agarwal posted Shakya’s resignation letter on micro-blogging site Koo and said: “Swami Prasad Maurya’s fellow BJP MLA Vinay Shakya resigned. Will join SP.”
Riya said Vinay Shakya was considered close to Maurya and had joined the BJP along with him ahead of the 2017 UP assembly election. He was an MLA earlier in 2002 and an MLC in 2009 – both on BSP ticket.
However, she vehemently denied that her father would have joined SP ever. “In 25 years of his political career, my father was always against SP. He was even attacked physically by SP goons once. The people know about it. Had he been fine, he would never have quit the BJP and certainly not joined SP,” she said.
Talking about the family tussle, with a lump in throat and her voice choking, Riya said she, her mother and younger brother were not allowed to meet her father. “We hold our grandmother in high esteem. We cannot oppose her. My uncle has taken undue advantage of this fact. He has kept my grandmother in the forefront and has been taking decisions on my father’s behalf,” she said.
Riya said she met her father for the first time in three years since 2019 on December 11 around midnight in Etawah. “The meeting was in the presence of the policemen for four to five minutes. I requested my father to come along with us to Bidhuna. He was also ready to join us. But my uncle brought in my grandmother and the two said something to my father who stayed back with them,” she said.
Riya said she has sought a ticket from the BJP leadership from Bidhuna. “But I will work for the BJP even if I do not get a ticket,” she said.
Asked if Bidhuna would witness a contest between uncle and niece if she got a BJP ticket and Devesh Shakya contested on an SP ticket, Riya said, “I would not like to comment on this.”
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