Yogi sacks rebel UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar

Rebel Uttar Pradesh minister and president of Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), an alliance partner of BJP in the state, Om Prakash Rajbhar, who had been spewing venom against the saffron party for the past several months, was on Monday sacked, a day after the completion of polling.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath recommended for dismissal of Rajbhar from the ministry to the state governor Ram Naik. The governor gave his approval a little later.

A furious Rajbhar later dubbed the BJP as an ''anti-backward'' and ''anti-SC,ST'' party and vowed to continue to fight for their interests.

''I was dismissed for raising my voice against the step-motherly treatment being meted out to the SCs and OBCs in the state by the BJP government....I shall continue to take up their issues,'' he said.

BJP sources said that Rajbhar had been criticising the government and the party for the past several months. ''We ignored his outbursts thinking that he would mend his ways but he did not,'' said a senior state BJP leader here.

A case was recently registered against Rajbhar after he had allegedly used objectionable words against the saffron party at an election rally.

Rajbhar said that he already resigned from the cabinet and that his sacking was meaningless.

Many of Rajbhar's associates, who were recently accommodated as heads of public owned entities and given status of ministers of state, were also sacked.

The SBSP chief had earlier declared a list of 39 candidates, including one against prime minister Narendra Modi from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat.

'Rajbhars', who formed around four per cent of the total electorate in the state, have a sizable strength in Azamgarh, Mau, Ghosi, Ballia, Salempur, Jaunpur, Lalganj Ghazipur, Deoria and some other seats in the region.