Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Wednesday hit out at the Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav alleging that the plank of social justice and Caste Census was not the character of the SP, but a deception to get Other Backward Classes (OBC) votes.
“Social justice/Caste Census is not the character of SP, it is a deception,” said Mr. Maurya, a leading OBC face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh. He added that when Mr. Yadav was the Chief Minister, instead of promoting social justice in the State, goons, criminals, rioters and casteism increased.
“When SP Chief Mr. Akhilesh Yadav was the Chief Minister, instead of social justice, goons, criminals, rioters increased casteism. When the public put an end to SP’s politics of hooliganism, then the message is clear that the reality has been exposed,” wrote the Deputy CM on social networking site Twitter.
The statement comes in the backdrop of the SP’s plans to organise Lok Jagran yatras and rallies to win the OBC support over the party’s continuous demands of caste-based Census in the State. The SP chief is pushing for a Caste Census in U.P. and participated in one such Lok Jagran Yatra in Sitapur, which was seen as an attempt by the SP to bring the entire OBC social groups under its banner with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha poll.
Mr. Maurya, who is not only the BJP’s prominent OBC face but also the person who led the non-Yadav OBC outreach of the saffron party between 2014-17, attacked the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for meeting the SP chief in Lucknow on Wednesday alleging the Delhi CM was orbiting those leaders whom he once called highly corrupt.
“After shedding alcohol in Delhi, Mr. Arvind Kejriwal is now orbiting those leaders whom he once called highly corrupt, when he started his politics. Kejriwal is oscillating between alcohol and leaders which reflect his original character,” said the U.P. Deputy CM.
