Akhilesh has got too accustomed to ACs: SBSP chief Rajbhar

Om Prakash Rajbhar, the chief of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party took a dig at his ally and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav stating that the latter has become "too used to air-conditioned rooms". Rajbhar further advised him to venture out more often to meet people.

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on Sunday said his ally Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has become "too used to air-conditioned rooms" and advised him to venture out more often to meet people. On being asked if Yadav will not mind his advice, Rajbhar asserted that the truth is bitter and he has not said anything wrong.

"Akhilesh Yadav has become too used to air-conditioned rooms," the SBSP chief said, addressing his party workers. Asked later what prompted him to make such a statement, Rajbhar told PTI, "His (Akhilesh Yadav) party leaders complain that he does not meet anyone. He should venture out more often to constituencies."

Asked again if his statement would not be taken otherwise by Yadav or the SP, Rajbhar said, "Why should it be taken otherwise? Have I said anything wrong? Truth is bitter." His leaders have told me that I should advise him so that he meets people, strengthens his party and shun his 'navratnas' (nine gems) who surround him, the SBSP chief added.

Rajbhar also said Yadav's party men allege that he was prevented by his associates from forming government in the 2022 assembly elections. "His people say his 'navratnas' did not allow him to form the government. The people were ready to vote for him but he was not ready to take votes," Rajbhar said. Asked what will happen if SP snaps its ties with the SBSP over his statement, Rajbhar said, "I have formed the party (SBSP) on my own, and work on my strength. A person who requires me will come to me automatically."

On how seriously should OP Rajbhar's statement be taken, political analyst Umashankar Dubey believes, "Even when OP Rajbhar was a minister in the BJP government, he continued to give advice to the government, the result of that was that he spent 2 years. He himself left the alliance inside. It was certain that in whichever party OP Rajbhar lives, he keeps giving advice, he is considered a master of bigotry. So should this statement of OP Rajbhar be taken as his arrogance or can it have some other meaning as well?"

In fact, dissatisfaction has been brewing in the Samajwadi Party since the defeat in the Assembly elections. Big leaders like Azam Khan and Shivpal Yadav are said to be angry with Akhilesh Yadav. There is also a buzz in the political corridor that both the disgruntled leaders can together move towards creating a third front in UP. If Azam Khan's leaving SP will hurt the party's Muslim vote bank, then Shivpal Yadav's departure can affect the Yadav vote bank.

Political analyst Umashankar Dubey further states, "OP Rajbhar also does not see his political future with the Samajwadi Party. Just as Azam Khan and Shivpal Yadav have shunned, OP Rajbhar also has a new political camp somewhere. Such a statement of OP Rajbhar can be seen as his plan to distance himself from Samajwadi Party. If a third front is formed in Uttar Pradesh, can a big OBC leader like OP Rajbhar leave the Samajwadi Party and join it. Maybe. OP Rajbhar can come in the lead role in this. If OP Rajbhar joins hands with Shivpal and Azam Khan, then the third front will be strong, especially in eastern Uttar Pradesh."

If Umashankar Dubey's analysis is to be believed, then OP Rajbhar has begun looking for excuses to distance himself from the SP. "Anyway, in the past, his growing proximity with BJP was also being discussed. In such a situation, if OP Rajbhar leaves the alliance, then it may become more difficult for Akhilesh to manage. OP Rajbhar's open admonition to Akhilesh clearly indicates that the SP leader has a responsibility not only to keep the morale of his party workers high but also to keep the allies united," Dubey says.

In the 2022 assembly elections, OP Rajbhar's SBSP together with the Samajwadi Party contested 18 seats and won 6 seats, while in the 2017 election, OP Rajbhar contested 8 seats with the BJP and won 4 seats. This time OP Rajbhar, who dreamed of forming the government with Akhilesh Yadav, also got a big blow from the results of the assembly elections. The Samajwadi Party and its allies got 125 seats, out of which 111 seats went to the Samajwadi Party. Since the results, it was believed that OP Rajbhar would start looking for a new place, but the signs are getting the same.