Amidst the growing perception of widening rift between Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav’s refusal to invite Om Prakash Rajbhar for dinner hosted here on Thursday in the honour of the opposition joint presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha has added fuel to the fire.
SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, the sulking ally of SP, has expressed his displeasure over not being invited to a meeting with opposition’s presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha in Lucknow.
“Only Akhilesh Yadav can tell why we were not invited when our party is in alliance and had worked hard continuously for 12 days in the by-elections and gave the best performance. If the Samajwadi Party respects its allies then why did they not invite us? It was a deliberate move of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to insult the SBSP,” Rajbhar said.
He, however, clarified that “we will remain with the alliance till the time Akhilesh Yadav calls it off by himself”.
Rajbhar said the SBSP would consider further steps once Akhilesh Yadav decides about the future of the alliance. He said there would be a meeting with MLAs on the decision to vote in the presidential elections.
“On July 12, we have called all our six MLAs for a meeting in this regard. Will reveal then only about our decision. Maybe Samajwadi Party will call its alliance partners and tell whom to vote for. However, when they know that opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha has no chance, it hardly matters whether they call us or not,” Rajbhar said.
On being asked about resolving issues with the Samajwadi Party chief, Rajbhar said, “That is possible when we meet. When Akhilesh Yadav is not meeting his own party MLAs then where is the scope for a meeting with MLAs of alliance partners?”
Asked whether he was better off with Bharatiya Janata Party, Rajbhar said, “Is Bahujan Samaj Party a bad party? I think BSP is the best party. However we are not in talks with anyone. I just speak what I feel is right.”
The rift between the SP and SBSP is widening ever since the senior partner denied ticket to Om Prakash Rajbhar for the election to UP Legislative Council,
The relation further soured after the debacle of the Samajwadi Party in by-polls to Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha constituencies. Rajbhar had campaigned in Azamgarh while Akhilesh Yadav skipped the electioneering. Rajbhar had criticised the SP chief and asked him to come out of the comfortable air-conditioned environment and hit the ground for a direct rapport with the masses.
The SP had called a key meeting with opposition’s presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha on Thursday at SP headquarters in Lucknow. Along with senior functionaries of SP, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary, an SP ally, was also present in the meeting. SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, however, was missing on the dais.