Rajbhar’s remarks on dividing Uttar Pradesh prompt political dispute

Om Prakash Rajbhar, chief of the SBSP, has triggered a fresh political debate with remarks about dividing Uttar Pradesh after a caste census is completed. Rajbhar said there would be no problem carrying out the division once the census had been completed. He also attributed the position to the prime minister, saying that this was what the country’s prime minister had said.

The comments drew criticism from opposition parties, according to The Hindu, and have led to renewed debate involving the National Democratic Alliance. The available material does not provide the names of the opposition leaders who responded or detail their objections. Rajbhar’s statement links any division of the state to the completion of the caste census.

It does not, in the supplied material, identify a proposed map, the number of states that might be created or a timetable for such a move. The remarks therefore leave the issue at the level of a political claim and response. The source material does not establish that a decision to divide Uttar Pradesh has been taken, nor does it provide further comments from the prime minister.