Rajeev Rai met Amit Shah, will spearhead SP MPs' split: UP Minister's bombshell

Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief and Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Saturday claimed that a split among the Members of Parliament of the Samajwadi Party would be led by Ballia MP Rajeev Rai.

Addressing reporters, Rajbhar alleged that Rajeev Rai had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the past and was reprimanded by him during the meeting. He also claimed that Rai had publicly shared and widely circulated birthday greetings he sent to Shah.

Uttar Pradesh Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Wednesday claimed that the Samajwadi Party will split and alleged that several of its leaders were ready to join the BJP, prompting a sharp rebuttal from SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, who accused the BJP of engineering defections in the past.

Rajbhar further alleged that among the three MPs from Ballia, Rajeev Rai possesses the most wealth and claimed that the Enforcement Directorate would soon question him. He also alleged that Samajwadi Party MPs are in contact with different leaders, claiming that some are in touch with Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, some with Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, while others are in contact with leaders in Delhi. Rajbhar said the situation would become clear around the time the Parliament session begins.

On the issue of an SIT probe into the alleged theft of offerings at the Ram Mandir, Rajbhar said questioning was underway and claimed that the name of Tinnu Yadav had surfaced during the investigation. He also alleged that the name of a person from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav's community had already emerged. Rajbhar claimed that Tinnu Yadav was the person who informed Akhilesh Yadav about the alleged theft. He also appeared to defend Ram Mandir Trust General Secretary Champat Rai on the matter.

Reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks after a NEET aspirant was reportedly allotted an examination centre in Abu Dhabi, Rajbhar said Gandhi was not concerned about the NEET examination but was instead focused on Italy. He alleged that Gandhi wanted Italy to be happy and not India.

Responding to Akhilesh Yadav's remark that an SIT probe should also be conducted into Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's Ayodhya visit, Rajbhar said Yogi would not seek Akhilesh Yadav's permission before travelling anywhere. He added that Akhilesh Yadav had no responsibilities and was making such statements only to seek votes from the public.

Rajbhar also said that he had not divorced Akhilesh Yadav politically, but that Akhilesh Yadav had "divorced" him in writing. He further claimed that Akhilesh Yadav does not want to look at his uncle, Shivpal Singh Yadav, with respect and predicted that a day would come when Shivpal Yadav would have to lead the party.

Referring to a letter submitted by Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav to Amit Shah, Rajbhar challenged him to disclose its contents. He said that once Ram Gopal Yadav made the letter public, he would also reveal the contents of his own letter.

- Ends