Cars rev up rift between Samajwadi Party & its allies

Media reports alleging SP chief gifting Fortuner to SBSP chief OP Rajbhar is in the centre of the controversy

The Samajwadi Party (SP) and its allies are sparring over cars. The Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) has vehemently denied reports that a Fortuner was gifted to SBSP president Om Prakash Rajbhar by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav.

A section of the media, on Thursday, reported that the SP had gifted a Fortuner car to Rajbhar.

Piyush Mishra, national spokesperson for the SBSP, said, "Our chief (Om Prakash Rajbhar) likes Innova and not Fortuner. He moves around in his own Innova car."

There was a similar car controversy last month when the Mahan Dal split with the SP.

The SP had reportedly asked Mahan Dal chief Keshav Dev Maurya to return the Fortuner car it had "gifted" him.

Maurya, who had returned the vehicle to the SP, said, "Both the SBSP and the SP are unnecessarily dragging their differences. It would be better if they decently split up, instead of making unpalatable comments on each other. Om Prakash Rajbhar should have learnt from me. I split up when I realised that the SP does not need me".

The SP had allied with the RLD, SBSP, Mahan Dal, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL), Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), and Janwadi Party (Socialist) for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.

The Mahan Dal and Janwadi Party (Socialist) have formally split with the SP.

PSPL chief Shivpal Yadav has announced that he will vote for the BJP-led NDA's presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu, instead of the SP's choice of Yashwant Sinha and has made it clear that he would now strengthen his own party since he had been humiliated by Akhilesh Yadav.