Lucknow: Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president and UP minister OP Rajbhar on Sunday said the Congress and opposition parties have been duping Muslims for years, and urged the community to support the ruling National Democratic Alliance to benefit from welfare schemes.
Rajbhar went on to claim that at least 15 to 20 per cent Muslims are going to vote for the BJP and that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will win all 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.
“Congress party is number one in duping Muslims, followed by the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party is at the third place,” Rajbhar told ‘PTI Video’.
“These people talk a lot about Muslims for votes. But what have they done to improve their (Muslims) education?” Rajbhar asked.
Rajbhar, whose SBSP is part of the BJP-led NDA, claimed that there were 38 per cent Muslims in government jobs at the time of Independence but due to Congress’ over 50-year rule, now Muslims don’t have even have one per cent of government jobs.
“Who is responsible for this. Is BJP responsible? They have created a rift between the minorities and BJP. I will urge the Muslim brothers to shun hate and fight for development. Leave these people (opposition parties) and come to our side and enjoy the benefits of schemes,” he said.
The SBSP chief said that the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in UP will be fought on the agenda of “development” and “the rule of law.”
“The common public accepts this that in the previous Samajwadi Party and Congress governments riots and curfews were imposed. Now, they have found relief from that. People use to call the SP’s government as a ‘gundon ki sarkar’ (government of goons),” he said.
Rajbhar had ditched the BJP before the assembly elections in UP in 2022 and joined the Samajwadi Party. The relationship however soured after the election and Rajbhar returned to the BJP. He was recently made a minister in the state government.
When asked about the likelihood of the NDA winning over 400 seats in the parliamentary elections, Rajbhar said, “The claim will come true because BJP and all its allies are working hard on the ground… the opposition on the other hand is only posting its views on (social media platform) X.”
