Samajwadi Party activists hurled tomatoes and eggs at the bungalow of Om Prakash Rajbhar

Samajwadi Party activists on Saturday hurled tomatoes and eggs at the official bungalow of minister Om Prakash Rajbhar for his remarks that Rajputs and Yadavs consumed more liquor than others. 

The minister had also said that the Rajbhar community faced the blame for the conduct of Yadavs and Rajput. Rajbhar is the president of Suheldeo Bharat Samaj Party and is an ally of the ruling BJP.

Youth activists of Samajwadi Party donning red caps, mobbed the minister’s official residence  on Kalidas Marg, close to the official residence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. They raised slogans against the minister and damaged his name plate. 

Later the police said that nobody was detained for the protests at the minister’s home. “We are probing the matter,” an officer said.

In Varanasi on Friday, Rajbhar had made the controversial remark while arguing against drinking. “The maximum blame is put on Rajbhars, but the maximum liquor is consumed by Yadavs and Rajputs” he said. 

Rajbhar added that people from his own community and other castes also drank and some were also engaged in the business. “If you want to know the pain, ask the mother, sister or wife to whose homes their loved ones come drunk,” he said.

Taking serious exceptions to Rajbhar’s remarks, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav tweeted ‘why only alcohol’.  He said that campaigns should also be run against consumption of other intoxicants, listing ‘ahankar’ (ego) along with ganja, charas and tobacco. 

“It is people who use them, not castes,” Akhilesh wrote in Hindi

SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said, “The tone and tenor of the statements of Om Prakash Rajbhar is a clear indication that the BJP is a sinking ship and was in big trouble ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.Rajbhar is making intemperate statements out of desperation and the people will give a befitting reply to the BJP.”

Controversy is not new to Om Prakash Rajbhar. He had kicked up a shindy with his criticism of the performance of Yogi Adityanath government in the state. 

In another controversial statement, he had said, “If someone offers you liquor, consume it but vote as per you discretion.”

On Friday too, Rajbhar made a controversial tweet attacking Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the BJP. He tweeted, `People chose Modi Ji when they finally got an option other than the Congress. It happened as they’re unhappy with them. We’re thumping our chest in UP that we’ve formed a government but it was due to the SP-BSP. What good have we done? Maybe people’ll get other option tomorrow.”