Governor Ram Naik accepts Yogi's recommendation, dismisses OP Rajbhar from state govt

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday wrote to Governor Ram Naik demanding expulsion of Om Prakash Rajbhar from the state government. In a swift turn of events, the Governor Naik accepted the recommendation and dismissed Rajbhar. The estranged NDA ally had openly revolted against his government and the National Democratic alliance and fielded 39 candidates during the just concluded Lok Sabha Elections. Earlier, the SBSP chief claimed the SP-BSP-RLD alliance will win more seats than BJP in the state. He also claimed that the BJP was worried over Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's continuous attacks on it.

Apart from Rajbhar, his son and other members have been dismissed from certain government panels. Rajbhar's son Arvind Rajbhar and other associates including Rana Ajit Singh, Sunil Arkvanshi, Sudama Rajbhar, Gangaram Rajbhar and Virendra Rajbhar were also suspended 

Rajbhar, general secretary of Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), had issued multiple threats of parting ways with the Bharatiya Janata Party in the past. According to a tweet by the UP Chief Minister Office, "CM has requested Governor to dismiss Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party chief OM Prakash Rajbhar from UP cabinet with immediate effect." Rajbhar, a minister for backward class welfare and 'divyangjan' empowerment, had earlier resigned from cabinet but it wasn't accepted.

The SBSP had won four seats in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. For the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP had proposed to field an SBSP candidate on its symbol, which was disapproved by Rajbhar. He insisted to use his party symbol even if the SBSP got just one seat to contest.

In February, when he ‘resigned’ from the government, Rajbhar had written to Yogi Aditynath, “People of the backward classes are angry as the government has not given the scholarships to the students of the community, over the lack of fee reimbursement and non-implementation of the 27% reservation promised according to the recommendation of the social justice committee,” Rajbhar said in the letter to Yogi Adityanath.

Tweeting out his resignation letter, Rajbhar had slammed the Yogi government and said,  “When a minister cannot have a say in selection of a member and all the work is to be done by the chief minister, then what is the point of the department being handled by me.”