Anupriya skips Yogi's Deoria prog, day after her party chief's outburst against BJP

Apna Dal (S) leader and Union minister Anupriya Patel Wednesday gave a miss to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's programme in neighbouring Deoria district, a day after her husband and party president voiced frustration with the BJP over "treatment" of smaller NDA allies.

Anupriya, the Union minister of state for health, was conspicuous by her absence at the event where the chief minister inaugurated a medical college.

She was also not present at a function attended by the chief minister in Siddharthnagar Tuesday. The same day, her husband and party president Ashish Patel alleged at a press conference in Mirzapur that smaller parties were feeling "ignored" by the bigger NDA partner -- the BJP.

When asked about the Union minister skipping the programme, Apna Dal (S) leader Anurag Patel told PTI over phone, "There was no formal invitation to her by the government so she did not attend the events on December 25 and 26."
However, when BJP Deoria district media in-charge Satyedra Mani was asked for his comment, he said, "She did not come to the programme and I do not know the reason behind her absence."