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Ahead of the UP Elections 2022, The Quint spoke to Suheldev Bharatiya Samajwadi Party (SBSP) chief OP Rajbhar, who has joined hands with Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party for the state polls against the ruling BJP.
"We are not some thieves or dacoits, we are not people who sell the country. We are ready to go to jail for the backward, Dalit and other marginalised communities. No problem, the jail is made for the human beings.
Why did you join the Samajwadi Party-led alliance after quitting the NDA?
During his regime, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has acted selectively. Harishankar Tiwari and Brijesh Mishra's houses were raided because they are Brahmins. Vijay Mishra's house was also raided because he is a Brahmin. Khushi Dubey was jailed by Yogi because she is a Brahmin. She is in jail but a person close to Yogi, a murder accused who is from his caste is playing cricket.
BJP leaders are given training to lie in Nagpur.
How will the alliance and seat distribution work out with the SP?
When alliances happen, the division of seats take place. The problems that our party has, the two parties also have the same problems. If the other party is making you win elections, it is your duty as well to help the party win. If you have so many problems, then you wait for the government to be formed, then you ask for your dues and say if you face any injustice, or that you also want a place in the government.
Why did you quit the BJP-led government in UP?
Our motive to join hands with the BJP was the demand of caste census. Last caste census was conducted in 1931. It has been 90 years. The Constitution has a provision that census should be conducted every 10 years. So we went to them for the same, BJP refused to do it. We asked for Social Justice Committee report to be published, they refused agan. They refused to waive off electricity bills of the poor, and free healthcare and education for the poor. First they agreed to these things but when the government was formed and they got the votes, then they abandoned these issues.
It happened exactly like when Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised jobs and Rs 15 lakh to poor, but didn't deliver. He betrayed us and that's why I left.
CM Yogi Adityanath to contest from Gorakhpur instead of Ayodhya. What's the inside story?
Yogi Adityanath is not a member of the BJP. He is the chief of Hindu Yuva Vahini. When Rajnath Singh was the national president of the BJP, Yogi had asked him for the BJP ticket. Then there was some conflict but after some rounds of talks, things were sorted and some seats were given to him. This time around also he asked for BJP ticket for himself and some of his close members. He thought that Mathura is a safe seat, he will win, then he talked about Varanasi, the Ayodhya. So there is some game being played within the BJP.
People in Delhi thought that now he wants to be the prime minister. So they made a plan to sideline him. They tried to humiliate Yogi during an inauguration. Then they called Keshav Prasad Maurya to Delhi, and told him to destroy Yogi's dreams of not just Delhi but also of Lucknow.
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