More parties in NDA fold begin to flex their muscle

New Delhi: Close on the heels of NDA ally Upendra Kushwaha moving over to Congress-led Grand Alliance in Bihar, the BJP’s partners in the NDA Apna Dal (Sonelal) and the Om Prakash Rajbhar-led Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) from Uttar Pradesh too have begun flexing their muscles.

Cabinet minister in Yogi Adityanath’s government, Om Prakash Rajbhar of the SBSP while addressing a press conference, accused the BJP of not doing enough for the poor and the weaker sections of society.

He said that if the SP and BSP had worked honestly for the poor and had provided justice to all, the BJP wouldn’t have been in power in Uttar Pradesh.

Both Apna Dal (Sonelal) and SBSP have alleged that the BJP leadership wasn’t giving due respect and due share to them.

Mr Rajbhar added that it was due to BJP’s lack of interest towards empowering the weaker sections of the society, that he has been forced to launch his agitation.

“If there is no seat sharing deal with the BJP, we [SBSP] are ready to contest elections on all 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh and 16 seats in Bihar,” Mr Rajbhar told media persons. Earlier, he had made his displeasure with the BJP known saying that he was not planning to attend the PM’s December 29 programme in Ghazipur since he had not been invited for it.

Meanwhile Apna Dal (S) leader and Union minister Anupriya Patel on Wednesday gave a miss to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s programme in neighbouring Deoria district, a day after her husband and party president voiced frustration with the BJP over “treatment” of smaller NDA allies.

Ms Patel, the Union minister of state for health, was conspicuous by her absence at the event where the chief minister inaugurated a medical college. She was also not present at a function attended by the chief minister in Siddharthnagar Tuesday.

Earlier this week, the Apna Dal (Sonelal), the other ally of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and also at the Centre, had alleged that the state BJP leadership was not giving due respect to the allies.

“If the attitude of the state BJP leadership remains the same, the NDA may suffer maximum damage in UP,” said Apna Dal (S) national president Ashish Singh Patel at a press conference in Mirzapur.

He was addressing reporters at the office of Anupriya Patel who is the union minister of state for health and family welfare at the Centre. Anupriya is Mirzapur MP and also Ashish Singh’s wife. He said, “We want an NDA government at the Centre in 2019 once more under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

But the BJP will have to take better care of its allies in Uttar Pradesh. It should learn from its defeats in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, lest it goes the same way in Uttar Pradesh.”

He said the state government didn’t appoint Apna Dal workers to any of the vacant posts in different commissions. Anupriya Patel was being ignored ever since the BJP formed its government in the state, he said, adding that she was not invited to the PM’s events in Varanasi.

Mr Singh praised the law and order situation during BSP chief Mayawati’s tenure as chief minister, but dismissed any possibility of joining the proposed Mahagathbandhan. “We will make efforts to strengthen the NDA further,” he said.