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Rajbhars will get ST status soon: SBSP chief after meeting Yogi Adityanath
The SBSP is the Bharatiya Janata Party’s former ally and parted ways with the main opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) recently.
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on Wednesday said Rajbhars, currently treated as other backward classes (OBCs), would be included in the scheduled tribe (ST) category soon.
He made the remark a day after meeting chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow on Tuesday evening. The SBSP is the Bharatiya Janata Party’s former ally and parted ways with the main opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) recently.
“Chief minister Yogi Adityanath made it clear to us that he would honour the directions issued by the high court on March 11 this year in this regard. He has directed the social welfare ministry to send a proposal to the Centre about inclusion of Rajbhars in the ST category,” Rajbhar said on Wednesday.
He was referring to the Allahabad high court’s direction to the U.P. government to take a decision within two months on the inclusion of Rajbhars in the ST category. The court direction had come on a writ petition filed by Jago Rajbhar Jago Samiti.
“Once we are part of STs, our community will also benefit as currently under OBCs all the benefits are snapped up by bigger, dominant OBCs like Yadavs and Kurmis,” Rajbhar said. Last week, the Centre had given its nod to shift the Gond caste, along with five other sub-castes — Dhuria, Nayak, Ojha, Pathari and Rajgond — from the list of scheduled castes to scheduled tribes in 13 districts of U.P. BJP ally Nishad party, comprising members of the riverine community, too, are hopeful of being moved from OBC to scheduled castes.
The SBSP, which wields influence among Rajbhars mostly in eastern U.P., had sided with the BJP in 2017 U.P. assembly polls. The SBSP had parted ways with the BJP after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It had contested the 2022 state elections in alliance with the main opposition Samajwadi Party. After elections, the SBSP parted ways with the SP, accusing the main opposition party of neglecting its allies.
Soon after, Yogi government 2.0 had extended Z category security cover to former minister Om Prakash Rajbhar. During the ongoing monsoon session of the U.P. assembly, Yogi Adityanath had stopped in front of Om Prakash Rajbhar’s seat and was seen having a brief discussion with him.
Rajbhar’s regular targeting of the SP, his Tuesday evening meeting with CM and the Wednesday assertion of the likelihood of his caste being included in the ST category are being seen as indicators of its growing proximity with the BJP.
“The CM told us that he is very keen on ensuring development of the Rajbhar community,” Rajbhar said about his meeting with Yogi Adityanath.
When asked, SBSP chief spokesperson Arun Rajbhar denied that any political discussion took place in the meeting of the two leaders.
“No, the discussions weren’t political. They were limited to this issue of our caste being included in ST category,” he said when asked if the two parties were inching closer again.
