LUCKNOW: Even before 2012, Gayatri Prajapati was associated with the Samajwadi Party’s fringe outfits and had tested the political waters in Amethi twice in 2002 and 2007 on SP ticket but lost.
Despite the fall, his clout continued to grow within the SP. After becoming an MLA in 2012, Prajapati was sworn-in as the minister of state for irrigation in February 2013.
He was then elevated to cabinet rank within five months. It was in July 2015 that controversies started to erupt. Social activist Nutan Thakur lodged a complaint against him before the Lokayukta. Although the case was junked, it triggered a row when Mulayam allegedly threatened Nutan’s husband and IPS officer Amitabh Thakur for ‘running’ campaign against the minister.