Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Om Prakash Rajbhar has announced to organise ‘Savdhaan Yatra’ across the state from September 26 to mobilise support for quota for the most backward castes within 27% quota for the other backward castes. The yatra will cover all 75 districts of UP. The SBSP has constituted four teams to cover east, west central UP and Bundelkhand region. The yatra will conclude with a big rally at Gandhi Maidan in Bihar’s capital Patna in October.

The move by the SBSP, a former ally of the Samajwadi Party, is viewed as a counter to the  repeated demand for the caste-based census made by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.

Rajbhar said: “UP is a big state with over 25 crore population and there are many social groups which, though covered under the 27% quota for the OBCs , have actually got nothing since the implementation over 25 years ago.”

Without naming SP president Akhilesh Yadav, the SBSP chief said: “The Savdhaan Yatra is being taken out to  expose the double  standards and  betrayal by a party  leader who had made bloated promises to the most backward  caste people when he was out of power but he conveniently forgot when  he became the chief minister in 2012.”

He  added: “We will exhort people to ask tough questions from the SP as to why the separate quota  for the most backward caste within the 27% quota was not implemented when it was in power.”

He said the Allahabad High Court, in its judgement in October 2013, had ordered for a separate quota for the most backward castes. “That decision was not implemented by the then CM Akhilesh Yadav,” he pointed out.

Rajbhar also hailed CM Yogi Adityanath for the law and order in Uttar Pradesh.

“Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is working hard for development and improvement in law and order. The menace of extortion from traders has ended across the state but there are some elements in bureaucracy who are out to sabotage the government’s good work,” Rajbhar said.