Uttar Pradesh: Kunda MLA Raja Bhaiyya announces new party, likely to field candidates in 2019

The party, likely to be named as Jansatta Dal, may test the poll waters during 2019 general elections.
Raghraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiyya (Photo | PTI)
Raghraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiyya (Photo | PTI)

LUCKNOW: Seven-time independent MLA from Kunda in Pratapgarh district, Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya, on Friday announced the formation of his political outfit. The party, likely to be named as Jansatta Dal, may test the poll waters during 2019 general elections.

While announcing the launch of his party, Singh played the upper caste card and expressed his views against the amendment to the SC/ST Act, calling it a sheer injustice to the economically backward sections among the upper castes. Voicing his opposition to reservation, the Kunda MLA said that quota should be scrapped for the children of civil servants, who had already availed the benefits of reservation and were now well-off.

Justifying his stand on the issue, Singh said that he was not against special privileges guaranteed by the Constitution to the deprived and downtrodden sections of the society, but in criminal cases, the law should be equal for all the citizens of the country irrespective of caste and creed. "All should be equal before the law of the land. But with the SC/ST Act, this is not possible," he said.

"If crime is committed against a person belonging to SC or ST, he is given a different treatment from the one who belongs to an upper caste. This is wrong," he said.

He also opposed reservation in promotions. He said he favoured skill, qualification and merit-based promotions in jobs rather than caste-based, as it would amount to injustice to those who had been slogging and deserved promotions on merit and seniority.

While all other political parties are advocating for reservation to mahadalits from the existing quota provisions, Singh opposed it for the creamy layer vehemently.

The stand taken by Singh, who has been a minister under various CMs, including Rajnath Singh and late Ram Prakash Gupta of the BJP, and Mulayam Singh Yadav of Samajwadi Party, is being seen as an attempt to woo the upper castes in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "It may also be a tactic to mobilise the upper castes against the prospective SP-BSP alliance in the state to benefit the ruling BJP," political commentator JP Shukla said.

His move to launch a new party is also been linked to his efforts to help BJP to sail through in 2019. Notably, in the crucial Rajya Sabha elections in March this year, Singh had voted in favour of the BJP candidate in a crucial fight against BSP's BR Ambedkar, much against the expectations of the Samajwadi Party. Though Singh is believed to be close to SP, sources close to him claim that he got disillusioned with Akhilesh Yadav's leadership and his attempts to align with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

The animosity between Singh and the BSP leadership is not new. He was jailed during the Mayawati regime on the charge of plotting her murder. Mayawati even got National Security Act (NSA) invoked against him.

Singh had recently said that he was ready to ally with any party, but BSP. Since SP and BSP are together now, his dejection with Samajwadis is comprehensible.

He has planned a grand rally in the state capital on November 30, the day he will complete 25 years in state politics. During the rally, Singh is likely to shed light on the structure of his party. He has approached the Election Commission of India for the registration and election symbol of his outfit.

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