Uttar Pradesh Minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar on Sunday, 23 August launched a sharp counter-attack on Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, predicting that it is Yadav himself who will 'be the one running away to Pakistan' in the days ahead. The remark, made in Lucknow, escalated an already heated war of words between the two leaders over the Pakistan reference in UP politics.

What Triggered the Exchange

The spat traces back to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's claim that the 'P' in the SP's political alliance acronym 'PDA' stands for Pakistan. Responding to that charge a day earlier, Akhilesh Yadav had sarcastically said at a public event: 'My colleague has asked if 'P' means Pakistan. If I say, 'BJP, go to Pakistan,' or if I say, 'Go away to Pakistan.' Rajbhar's remarks on Sunday were a direct rebuttal to that statement.

Rajbhar's Broadside Against Akhilesh

Rajbhar accused Yadav of consistently resorting to divisive rhetoric instead of substantive governance issues. 'Akhilesh Yadav is neither talking about education, nor about distributing the 27 per cent reservation for the Backward Classes, nor about healthcare or peace and harmony. He always uses the language of hatred and keeps talking about hatred. In the coming days, you will see that Akhilesh Yadav will be the one running away to Pakistan,' Rajbhar said.

Rajbhar also claimed that Yadav is 'himself desperate to join the NDA,' pointing to what he described as Yadav's unsolicited seat-sharing calculations for the ruling alliance as evidence of that desperation.

Alliance History and Electoral Arithmetic

Rajbhar drew on the SP's electoral track record to undercut Yadav's political standing. 'Before Jayant ji and I joined him, they had only 47 seats. Only after we joined him, the alliance registered victory in 125 seats. Now since Jayant ji and I both have moved away from the alliance with SP, they are wondering about their future,' he said.

He further claimed that following his exit from the SP-led alliance, the party has 'faced losses in Ambedkar Nagar, Ghazipur, Azamgarh, and in fact in the entire Purvanchal region.'

Rajbhar on the Reservation Debate

Amid the ongoing anti-reservation protests, Rajbhar also clarified his party's position on the issue. He stated that reservation — as envisioned by Dr B.R. Ambedkar — was designed to bring those at the lowest rung of society into the development mainstream, and that it benefits multiple communities across constitutional categories.

'The Constitution provides for four categories; the general category also has 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections, the Backward Classes have 27 per cent, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have 22.5 per cent. So, everyone is getting reservation,' he said, adding that the focus on Backward and Dalit communities reflects their roughly 85 per cent share of the population. A day before Rajbhar's remarks, Akhilesh Yadav had also asserted: 'Reservation was, is and will remain.'

What Comes Next

The exchange signals intensifying political rivalry ahead of the next round of assembly and local body elections in Uttar Pradesh. With former allies now firmly in opposing camps, the battle over caste consolidation, reservation narratives, and the Pakistan jibe is likely to sharpen as polling dates draw closer.