Rajbhar slams SP: Protecting criminals, caste politics is their old culture

Varanasi: UP minister Omprakash Rajbhar on Friday attacked the Samajwadi Party, alleging it has a long-standing culture of protecting criminals and pursuing caste-based politics.

Speaking to reporters after a public hearing in Azamgarh, Rajbhar responded to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s allegations against the govt over the Jaunpur encounter.

Rajbhar said the accused Ravi Yadav, whom the opposition has defended, has 23 serious criminal cases registered against him, including murder. He said opposition leaders should examine the accused’s criminal record before making public statements.

He also alleged that the opposition stays silent on murders and atrocities against backward and Dalit communities in several districts, but becomes active when an accused belongs to a particular caste. Citing the Mubarakpur incident, Rajbhar claimed SP leaders had approached police officers to seek relief for an accused in the murder of a Dalit public representative.

Rajbhar said the BJP govt’s policy is that no criminal will be spared irrespective of caste, religion or party affiliation. He said police are conducting raids to arrest absconding accused Bhole Rajbhar and Pradeep Bind in the widely discussed Jaunpur groom murder case.

On the Supreme Court’s verdict related to the Election Commission, Rajbhar said the ruling exposed what he called the opposition’s false allegations. He claimed a voter list check in his constituency found more than 12,000 deceased voters’ names, enabling bogus voting.