Rajbhar puts government on notice, to skip Yogi’s Kumbh cabinet

VARANASI: Upset over delay in implementation of OBC quota, UP minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on Friday put the government on notice saying if it failed to take a decision by February 24, SBSP will release the list of its 80 candidates on February 25 to contest the Lok Sabha polls alone in UP. Rajbhar also declared that he won’t attend the proposed UP cabinet meeting at Allahabad on January 29.

“The report of OBC Social Justice Committee was submitted in October, but the government is yet to take any decision. We have prepared a list of candidates for all the 80 LS seats in UP and will release it if the government fails to implement the committee’s recommendation by February 24,” he told TOI on Saturday and added that “there is no point in attending cabinet meeting in Allahabad when my voice is not being heard”.

“When the government can decide on quota for economically weaker sections of general category in 48 hours, why is it delaying OBC quota,” he questioned adding he was not against reservation for the general category.

“I am happy over this step, but why the committee’s report has been put on a back burner? Is the government playing tricks to deceive the OBCs?” he said adding, “Though the party is going to hold a meeting in Varanasi on January 29 to decide on the future course of action, it is clear that we will release the list of our candidates on February 25 if the government does not fulfill our demand by then.”

Rajbhar has been raising the demand for quite some time and has also warned of breaking SBSP’s partnership with BJP if 27% OBC reservation quota is not divided into three categories. He said that during meetings held on March 20 and April 11, 2018, Amit Shah had promised to implement it six months before the general elections. The CM had also spoken about it it Vidhan Sabha.