<p class="title">The BJP's alliance partner and Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Friday met senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Singh Yadav setting tongues wagging in political circles here.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rajbhar, whose Suheldev Bharat Samaj Party (SBSP) has four members in the state Assembly, and Yadav held a closed-door meeting in Varanasi, about 300 km from here.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Although both leaders termed the meeting a "courtesy call", sources said that the two leaders discussed the prevailing political scenario in the state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rajbhar, who is the president of the SBSP, later said that no political meaning should be derived from the meeting.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We are good friends and there is nothing wrong in meeting old friends," he remarked when queried in this regard.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The minister, however, came to the defence of SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav on the bungalow damage matter, saying that it appeared to be a conspiracy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It seems a conspiracy to me... no political leader will damage his bungalow before vacating it... it may be to tarnish his (Akhilesh) image," Rajbhar said. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Almost the entire BJP leadership and the state government have been targeting Akhilesh over the "damage" to the bungalow and a probe is already on in the matter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The SP has been trying to bring smaller outfits into its proposed grand alliance to counter the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh.</p>
<p class="title">The BJP's alliance partner and Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Friday met senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Shivpal Singh Yadav setting tongues wagging in political circles here.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rajbhar, whose Suheldev Bharat Samaj Party (SBSP) has four members in the state Assembly, and Yadav held a closed-door meeting in Varanasi, about 300 km from here.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Although both leaders termed the meeting a "courtesy call", sources said that the two leaders discussed the prevailing political scenario in the state.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Rajbhar, who is the president of the SBSP, later said that no political meaning should be derived from the meeting.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We are good friends and there is nothing wrong in meeting old friends," he remarked when queried in this regard.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The minister, however, came to the defence of SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav on the bungalow damage matter, saying that it appeared to be a conspiracy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It seems a conspiracy to me... no political leader will damage his bungalow before vacating it... it may be to tarnish his (Akhilesh) image," Rajbhar said. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Almost the entire BJP leadership and the state government have been targeting Akhilesh over the "damage" to the bungalow and a probe is already on in the matter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The SP has been trying to bring smaller outfits into its proposed grand alliance to counter the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Uttar Pradesh.</p>
