SBSP to review support to ally BJP

The Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) today said it will discuss the future of the alliance with the BJP in its meeting soon, just days after supporting the saffron party's Rajya Sabha candidates in Uttar Pradesh.

The SBSP, an ally of the BJP, has four MLAs in the state and its national president, Om Prakash Rajbhar, is a cabinet minister in the Yogi Adityanath government.

"We will be holding an emergency meeting of the party executive on March 27 in Lucknow to discuss the issue of continuing support to the BJP," National Chief General Secretary of SBSP Arvind Rajbhar said here.

Arvind is the son of SBSP national chief.

 

"The bureaucracy has become out of control. The situation can be gauged from the fact that an SHO in Azamgarh, when asked to look, into a genuine matter, told Om Prakash Rajbhar to himself get the matter resolved," he said.

The meeting will also discuss the party's upcoming conference in Deoria and expansion of the organisation.

On SBSP MLAs crossvoting in the RS polls, Arvind said, "No SBSP MLA crossvoted. The party has, however, taken cognisance of media reports and send notices to two MLAs. It is possible that the SP and the BSP are making this allegations to get the SBSP in their alliance after leaving the BJP."

Days before the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, the SBSP had sent shock waves in the corridors of power in the state by skipping the first year celebrations of the Yogi Adityanath government and announcing that its MLAs would not vote for the BJP.

The sulking alliance partner SBSP rushed to Delhi and met BJP president Amit Shah to register its complaint that the "big brother BJP" was not following "coalition dharma".

But, after talks with Shah, the SBSP chief appeared mollified and announced that his MLAs would back BJP candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls.

"I have met BJP President Amit Shah, who noted points raised by me and said he will visit Lucknow on April 10 and will sit with me, BJP State president and Chief Minister [Yogi Adityanath] to get my problems redressed. We have decided to vote for the BJP in Rajya Sabha polls," Rajbhar had said.

Before meeting Shah, Rajbahar had said, "We have made this government and it is our duty to repeatedly point out its shortcomings... Holding celebrations is not going to serve the purpose. Building temples in Mathura and Kashi will not give education to the poor, or toilets and pension to them.