Uttar Pradesh Transport Minister Dayashankar Singh on Thursday extended an open invitation to Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Om Prakash Rajbhar, who is ostensibly unhappy with his ally Samajwadi Party after being sidelined in the coming Legislative Council elections, to join hands with the ruling BJP.
Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of a government programme at the district headquarters here, Mr Singh said the Samajwadi Party did not keep its promise made to the SBSP and the Mahan Dal and added, "We are ready to welcome the parties coming out of the SP alliance. They will be welcomed and greeted."
He said the ideologies of the SBSP and the Mahan Dal were similar to that of the BJP and added Mr Rajbhar "talks about the rights of the downtrodden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath fulfil them".
The Mahan Dal is headed by Keshav Dev Maurya.
The BJP leader also said whoever had entered into an alliance with the BJP became a minister.
"Apna Dal leader Anupriya Patel is a minister in the central government and her husband Ashish Patel is a minister in the Yogi government. Sanjay Nishad is also a minister. Om Prakash Rajbhar was also a minister during his party's alliance with the BJP," he said.
On Wednesday, SBSP national spokesman Piyush Mishra had termed the candidate list released by the SP for the upcoming Legislative Council elections in the state as "disappointing".
His reaction came soon after four candidates of the Samajwadi Party, including Swami Prasad Maurya who quit the BJP and joined it just before the recent assembly elections, filed their nominations for the Legislative Council elections in the presence of Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow.
SBSP president Om Prakash Rajbhar had backed Mr Mishra saying that he was the national spokesperson of the party and his words were important.
"The truth has to be accepted," Mr Rajbhar, whose SBSP had contested the assembly elections in alliance with the Samajwadi Party, had stated though he made it clear that he would continue in the SP-led alliance.
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