Rajbhar's caste census claim on U.P. division stirs fresh debate
SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar's claim that U.P. will be divided after the caste census has reignited debate, with the opposition attacking the NDA.
A fresh political row has broken out over the demand for the division of Uttar Pradesh after Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar said the state would be split once the caste census is completed.
Rajbhar attributed the assurance to the Prime Minister, saying the exercise would clear the way for the division. "Once the caste census is completed, there will be no problem in carrying out the division; we will divide the State after the caste census; this is what the Prime Minister of the country said," he said.
The remark has reignited the long-standing debate over carving up India's most populous state, a demand that has surfaced periodically in different regions of Uttar Pradesh.
The opposition seized on the statement to hit out at the National Democratic Alliance, turning the issue into the latest flashpoint between the ruling combine and its rivals.
The SBSP, which draws its support largely from backward communities, has been a vocal backer of both the caste census and the demand for a separate state. Its chief's latest claim places the two issues together and puts the spotlight back on a question that has remained politically sensitive in the state.