‘Whenever I Raise Issues of Poor, They Talk About Hindus and Muslims’: Ally Rajbhar Attacks BJP

Lucknow: Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party president and senior minister in the Uttar Pradesh government Om Prakash Rajbhar on Saturday expressed dissatisfaction with the BJP dispensation, claiming whenever he talks about the poor, “they bring in the Hindu-Muslim issue”.

Threatening to resign as minister, he said his “heart is broken. “Should I fight for the poor or become a slave of the BJP?”

“I have come here to fight for the poor and not to toe the line of the BJP. I am not here to taste power,” he said addressing the “ghulami chodo, samaj jodo” rally to mark the 16th foundation day of the party.

“They haven’t even given us a party office. I had come prepared to resign today from this platform itself,” Rajbhar said.

The leader had earlier expressed unhappiness over rebel Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav being allotted a government bungalow.

Rajbhar, who has often criticised the BJP government, said, “My heart is broken. The BJP doesn’t want to give me a share in governance. Whenever I raise the issue of the poor, they talk about temples, mosques. They talk about Hindus and Muslims.”

Our children want good education and not “mandir or masjid”, he said.

Calling for providing quota within the OBC quota for different marginalized group according to their share in the population, Rajbhar said that BJP president Amit Shah had promised to do it within six months, but it is yet to materialize.

‘Twelve states have this arrangement but not Uttar Pradesh,” he stressed.

He also demanded that Uttar Pradesh be divided into four parts – Purvanchal, Pashchimanchal, Madhyanchal and Bundelkhand – for better representation and governance, besides a ban on liquor.

“When a neighbouring state like Bihar could achieve it why not Uttar Pradesh?” he asked.

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