Om Prakash Rajbhar’s politics, despite the big statements, lacks ideology. In the matter of a few days, he has gone from warming up to Asaduddin Owaisi to shaking heads with his old political friend, the BJP.
His social media is filled with rants against the “Bharatiya Jhooth (lying) Party” which he has earlier labelled the “Bharatiya Jhagda Party”. “The PM and the CM should get the number one in falsehoods award”, he tweeted. He has also accused the party of being run by “two Gujaratis”.
Rajbhar is the founder of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party. The party contested the 2017 elections with the BJP but parted ways before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. He was a minister with the Yogi government—giving it much heartache. For instance, just four months into the new government, he staged a dharna against the district magistrate of Gazipur. It had to be diffused by the CM himself. He threatened to cross vote in the Rajya Sabha elections, and Amit Shah had to placate him. He has also conflicted with Anil Rajbhar—a BJP leader, over who is the bigger leader of the caste.
The Rajbhars are of greatest political importance in east Uttar Pradesh where they have an influence on 125 seats—the population is 12-22 per cent. But they need the support of other backward castes too for ensuring a win that will give them a stake in forming the next government.
Owaisi is in the Bhagidari Sankalp Morcha, a front of smaller political parties created by Rajbhar. The latter had claimed they would win at least 100 seats. However, he has left a door open with the claim that the AIMIM is not formally part of the Morcha. And to drive home the point that he was still master of his will, he did not join Owaisi at a rally held on July 15 in Moradabad.
Owaisi’s last visit to Bahraich to pay obeisance at the tomb of Salar Masood Ghazi, has muddled the optics further. Ghazi had fought with Maharaja Suheldev—the king who was the guiding light of Rajbhar’s party and community.
The government’s announcement of reservation for OBC and EWS students in medical colleges could be a masterstroke, as reservations are part of Rajbhar’s demands. He also wants the report of the Economic Justice Committee to be implemented and a policy of unified, compulsory and free education.
Rajbhar, whose party has four seats in the present Vidhan Sabha, will ultimately settle for an alliance where he is sure of the benefits he is seeking. These are two safe seats for himself and his son. A couple of more seats to bargain with poll aspirants. And the guarantee of some post after the elections is over. Given that the party which can afford to give him some of those with guarantee is the BJP, it remains his best bet.
The BJP might not gain extensively from him, but it needs him to not lose anything because of the vote he claims to control. The recent panchayat election results have given the party the chance to re-evaluate how much they need the Rajbhar support.
But for now, he and the party will size each other up for some more time.
