Lucknow: An ally of Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Om Prakash Rajbhar is getting closer to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Rajbhar’s proximity to the ruling party was evident on Friday when the UP government led by Yogi Adityanath approved ‘Y’ security to him, sources in the government said.
His party has already broken ranks with the SP and voted for National Democratic Alliance’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu who has defeated opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.
Reacting to Rajbhar’s ‘Y’ category security, an SP leader said that he had got the reward for what he had done. He further said that the party was aware of his getting nearer to the BJP after it returned to power for the second time in a row.
According to a letter dated July 15 sent to the additional director general of police (security), joint secretary of the Home Department Vinay Kumar Singh said it had been decided to extend ‘Y’ category security to Rajbhar. Singh asked the ADGP to complete necessary formalities.
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SBSP national spokesperson and Rajbhar’s son Arjun confirmed the party president being provided ‘Y’ category security. At present, the SBSP has six MLAs in Uttar Pradesh assembly. Extending ‘Y’ category security to Rajbhar has nothing to do with the presidential election, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party president Shivpal Singh said.
The SBSP had contested the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections held earlier this year in alliance with the SP. However, the ties between the two allies have been strained of late.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav did not invite Rajbhar to a meeting convened in Lucknow in support of Sinha early this month, but another party ally and Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary attended it.
Although Rajbhar announced that the SBSP would support Murmu, he maintained that his six-MLA party was still part of the