Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday denied allegations of a possible split in his party following the surprise remarks made by Uttar Pradesh Minister OP Rajbhar.
Hours after Rajbhar claimed that Samajwadi MP Ram Gopal Yadav had sent a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah with names, the SP chief said: “Dhana aur jana kab tak chalija yeh afsana (How long will their “benefits and songs” last?)
According to the news agency PTIYadav also accused the BJP of breaking several parties, including removing legislators and leaders from the SP. “If you look at Uttar Pradesh, many SP MLAs, MLCs and even Rajya Sabha members have been taken away. There must have been some self-interest, some temptation or some fear… People who feel fear leave their party,” he said.
“All SP members are ready to join BJP”
OP Rajbhar is the president of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), an ally of the NDA in Uttar Pradesh. He was earlier considered close to Akhilesh Yadav but severed ties with the Samajwadi Party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
In a surprise claim this morning, Rajbhar said the entire Samajwadi Party is ready to join the BJP. He said: “Didn’t you see that Ram Gopal ji had given a letter to Amit Shah ji and told him that these are the names, call them and take them with you, but keep us safe. Ram Gopal ji should tell what he wrote in his letter.”
He also linked the case to previous corruption allegations involving SP leaders. “The CBI has named Akhilesh ji in a mining case. Has anyone gone to jail in the Gomti Riverfront case?” Rajbhar added.
However, there is no official word from the BJP or any government official about receiving calls from the Samajwadi MP.
according to NDTVRam Gopal Yadav, SP MP Rajbhar alleged that he wrote to Amit Shah listing the names of his party leaders, and he has also denied the allegations. “You should ask Amit Shah ji if I have given any speech. No one in the country takes Om Prakash Rajbhar seriously. He always talks like this. He himself does not know what he is saying,” Ram Gopal Yadav said, according to the post.
According to the news agency that ISP MP Rajeev Rai also denied Rajbhar’s allegations and accused him of holding short talks without any purpose.
The uproar over the Samajwadi Party’s split comes at a time when similar events are taking place in Bengal and Maharashtra, where the opposition parties Trinamool Congress and UPT Sena, respectively, are facing a rift.
