SBSP chief reignites debate of UP division
In Short
UP minister claims PM had assured him of state division
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SBSP chief reignites debate of UP division
Lucknow: UP minister and SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar has reignited the debate on Uttar Pradesh's division, claiming Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him the populous state would be split into four parts following a crucial caste census.
Rajbhar linked the proposed division to the 27% reservation issue and suggested a Rajbhar could become chief minister of a new Purvanchal state.The demand for Uttar Pradesh’s division is a long-standing political issue, previously championed by former Chief Minister Mayawati. Her government had proposed splitting UP into three or four states, including Purvanchal, Bundelkhand, Avadh Pradesh, and Paschim Pradesh.
The political timing of Rajbhar’s announcement is significant, with UP elections scheduled for early 2027, echoing past pre-election demands for state bifurcation.
Reviving a discussion dating back nearly two decades on the division of Uttar Pradesh at the “Samajik Samrasta Maha Rally” organised by his Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) in Deoria on Sunday, Rajbhar claimed that PM Modi “assured” him that the division of the state could happen after the caste census. “We want to assure you regarding the 27 per cent reservation. I spoke with the Prime Minister about this,” Rajbhar, a political turncoat whose party currently allies with the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, stated in Deoria, recounting the conversation he claims to have had with Modi.
“He (Modi) said, ‘Om Prakash ji, your point is justified, but some people are opposing it.’ I asked him how we could move forward, and he replied, ‘I will conduct a caste census, and once we have counted the castes, there will be no difficulty in carrying out the division.
We will do the division after the caste census.” “Now tell me, should we trust the Prime Minister or the people of the SP, BSP, and Congress?’” Rajbhar said.
Calling on the youth to not lose courage, he added, “The state will be divided into four parts. And on the day the Purvanchal state is formed, if the chief minister is to be from any caste, then a Rajbhar’s son will become the chief minister. Keep this in mind while working. Do not be misled into joining the SP, BSP or the Congress.”
