Om Prakash Rajbhar claims Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘real uncle’ will take over Samajwadi Party

NEW DELHI: Uttar Pradesh minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on Friday launched a scathing attack on Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav, accusing him of treating Rajbhar and Maurya communities as inferior to Yadavs.He also reiterated his claim that the Samajwadi Party was heading towards a split and said the ‘real uncle’ would eventually take charge of the party’s remaining organisation.His remarks came amid an escalating political war of words over his recent claims that a major rebellion was brewing within the Samajwadi Party ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections. The opposition party has strongly denied the allegations and accused Rajbhar of spreading misinformation on behalf of the BJP-led NDA.In a post on X, Rajbhar alleged that Ram Gopal Yadav had long looked down upon leaders from non-Yadav backward communities.“The entire Bahujan Samaj has seen and heard the words used by arrogant Ramgopal Yadav for Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and me. Ramgopal Yadav has always considered Rajbhar and Maurya inferior to Yadavs. They keep separate utensils for us in their houses,” Rajbhar wrote.He further claimed that internal tensions would eventually lead to a split within the Samajwadi Party.“The party will split… the national president of the remaining party will be the real uncle, because only he can rebuild the party again. The other arrogant uncle will go from professor to primary school master, and Akhilesh ji’s ‘Shiv’ uncle will make it a reality,” he said.Rajbhar also took a swipe at the party over reports that Moradabad MP Veera was not invited to a recent PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) conference organised by the Samajwadi Party.Also Read | ‘SP is fully prepared’: Akhilesh hits back at Rajbhar, says BJP has history of engineering splitsHis comments come after he doubled down on his prediction that the Samajwadi Party was headed for a split. On Thursday, Rajbhar claimed that a rebellion by dissident MPs was only a matter of time and suggested that resentment within the party had deepened after what he described as the insult of Brahmins during a recent party conference.The SBSP chief had earlier alleged that a ‘major political realignment’ was underway within the Samajwadi Party and claimed that several MPs were unhappy with the party leadership.The remarks triggered a sharp response from senior SP leader Shivpal Singh Yadav, who dismissed Rajbhar’s claims as a BJP-backed conspiracy.“BJP people lie. They also keep conspiring from time to time. No MP of the Samajwadi Party will break away. These people say this to increase their TRP and increase seats during the elections,” Shivpal told ANI.Mocking Rajbhar, he added: “I think they get paid to tweet, that is why they say such things and lie. In 2027, a government will be formed in Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav.”The BJP, however, has backed Rajbhar’s assertions. Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya recently claimed that several Samajwadi Party MPs were prepared to leave the party, though he did not provide any evidence to support the allegation.The Samajwadi Party has repeatedly denied suggestions of a split. Party president Akhilesh Yadav, MP Afzal Ansari and other leaders have maintained that the organisation remains united despite attempts by political opponents to create confusion.