LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party on Saturday signalled a split after it told allies Omprakash Rajbhar and Shivpal Singh Yadav that they were free to go. This move came after they both supported the BJP's presidential candidate in the recent election.
Rajbhar said he "accepted the divorce" decree given by SP president Akhilesh Yadav, while Shivpal Yadav also hinted at the same.
In a letter to Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Omprakash Rajbhar, the SP said that Rajbhar has a "partnership" with the saffron party and is helping it as they fight against the BJP. It says he is free to go if he feels he will be more respected there.
Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) president Shivpal Singh Yadav was given a similar letter where the SP said "he can go where he gets more respect". The letters were shared by the SP on his official Twitter handle. Shivpal Yadav responded to SP's move.
"Although I was always free, I sincerely thank the Samajwadi Party from the heart for giving me formal independence by issuing a letter. Compromising on principles and respect is unacceptable in a political journey," he tweeted in Hindi.
Rajbhar hit out at Akhilesh Yadav.
"It is bad if I meet Yogi (Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath) but it is very good if Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav meet him," he said, and warned the SP chief that the effect of his action "will be known by the 2024 elections".
Asked about his next step, he said that he will hold talks with the Bahujan Samaj Party.
He also said that "Shivpal Yadav is our leader and we keep in touch with him".
The development comes after Rajbhar and Shivpal Yadav backed National Democratic Alliance (NDA) presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu, who defeated SP-backed opposition nominee Yashwant Sinha.
When he was sidelined by Akhilesh Yadav, Shivpal Singh Yadav formed a new party in 2018.
Akhilesh Yadav had teamed up with his estranged uncle Shivpal Yadav prior to the recent Uttar Pradesh assembly elections and won from the Jaswant Nagar constituency on the SP symbol.
However, relations between the two continued to sour.
The Samajwadi Party contested the recent Uttar Pradesh assembly elections with Jayant Chaudhary's RLD, Rajbhar's SBSP, and Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) and Keshav Dev Maurya's Mahan Dal and Janwadi Party.
But after the alliance failed to oust the BJP, there were rumours of its collapse. The Mahan Dal and the Janwadi Party have already broken relations with the SP.
SP now has only RLD and Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) left as allies.
In the letter written in Hindi sent to Rajbhar, the SP said, "Shri Omprakash Rajbhar, Samajwadi Party is continuously fighting against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). You have an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party and are continuously working to strengthen the BJP. If you think that you will get more respect, then you are free to go there."
The letter to Shivpal read: "Honourable Shivpal Singh Yadav, if you feel that you will get more respect somewhere, then you are free to go there."
Om Prakash Rajbhar's proximity to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was visible in the presidential election.
Meanwhile, the UP government has provided 'Y category' security to Rajbhar.
After the SP's defeat in Azamgarh and Rampur Lok Sabha by-polls, Rajbhar had advised Akhilesh Yadav to go among the people and not do politics from an air-conditioned room.
Rajbhar's party won six seats in the recent assembly elections in alliance with the main opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) in the state.
A powerful backward leader with influence in eastern UP districts, Rajbhar contested the 2017 assembly elections with the BJP in UP but later defected to join the SP-led alliance.
With PTI inputs