Days after her expulsion from the Samajwadi Party, Chail MLA Pooja Pal on Friday wrote to party president Akhilesh Yadav, alleging he had only emboldened criminal elements within the party by “humiliating and abandoning her midway” and that her removal was not merely personal but an attempt to suppress the voice of the state’s backward, Dalit and poor people.Pal, the wife of late BSP legislator Raju Pal who was shot dead in 2005, was expelled from the SP for alleged anti-party activities within hours of her praising Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the Assembly on August 14 for claiming that “mafias like Atiq Ahmed had been reduced to dust”.In 2023, former MP Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf — both accused in Raju Pal’s murder case — were shot dead outside a Prayagraj hospital while being taken for a medical check-up under police custody.In her letter to Yadav, the MLA said “expressing gratitude for justice is not a crime and it is part of Indian culture”, warning that just like her husband she too could be killed, and if such an incident occurred, the responsibility would rest squarely on the party and Yadav himself.In a post on X, Pal wrote, “My expulsion from the party is not just about me, it is an attempt to silence the voice of Uttar Pradesh’s backward, Dalit, and poor people. I have fought through struggle, and I will continue to fight for justice.”In her letter to Akhilesh, Pal accused him of expelling her without giving her a chance to present her side. She wrote that the people of Uttar Pradesh — particularly the backward, most backward, and Dalit communities — deserved to know the real reasons behind her expulsion and to hear both sides before forming a judgment. Pal argued that had she been allowed to respond to the allegations, the public could have decided for themselves whether Akhilesh was truly the protector of the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) or if the Samajwadi Party was simply deceiving these communities for political gains.In the letter, the MLA accused Yadav of “double standards”, asking why she was expelled from the SP for supporting a BJP Rajya Sabha candidate when, shortly after her expulsion, he (Yadav) himself voted for a BJP nominee in the Constitutional Club elections in New Delhi. “So how can you punish me for this?” she questioned.Story continues below this adPal alleged that Yadav’s arrogance enabled him to brand the act of a widowed daughter from a most backward caste as a crime, while the same act — when committed by his own wife in the Constitutional Club polls by voting for the BJP — was never deemed wrong. “You, your wife, and your entire party have voted for the BJP on several occasions,” she wrote.She further alleged that Yadav, his family, and the SP had on several occasions voted for, or ensured votes for, the BJP, Congress, and even the BSP whenever it suited their personal or political interests, particularly to safeguard what she described as their ‘Saifai private company’.She argued that if he could align with other parties for his own gain, then her expulsion merely for expressing gratitude to those who ensured justice in her husband’s murder case was completely unjustified.Pal recalled in the letter that she became an MLA twice through her own struggle, without support from the Samajwadi Party, even as her husband’s killers continued to enjoy political protection by the previous government.Story continues below this ad“After you came to power, from some of your actions and conduct we felt that you could deliver justice even to backward and poor people like us by taking action against criminals. That is why, on the insistence of Samajwadi Party workers and leaders, I joined the party, contested the election, and became an MLA for the third time. However, once inside the party, it became clear that backward, most backward and Dalit communities were treated as second-class citizens, while Muslims — even if involved in crime — were given priority and protection,” she wrote.Despite repeated efforts, she alleged, no action was taken against her husband’s killers.In the BJP, she claimed, no matter how big a criminal is, they are punished — and this was witnessed by her and the entire people of Uttar Pradesh when her husband’s murderers and their family members were brought to justice. Yet, instead of standing with her, Pal alleged, the SP and the Saifai family openly rallied in support of her husband’s murderers, both inside the Assembly and on the streets. “That is when I lost faith in your policies,” she wrote.