New Delhi, January 21: Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Wednesday embarked on a new mission — “to politically unite the Kshatriyas and the most backward castes (MBCs) in the Purvanchal region”.
In his first public meeting in Varanasi after his resignation from party posts was accepted by Mulayam Singh Yadav, Amar announced that he would hold a meeting of the MBCs in Varanasi on January 24.
Singh was in the city to flag off the Kshatriya Chetna Yatra, which will mobilise public opinion for the creation of a separate Purvanchal state — this despite that his party opposes the division of Uttar Pradesh.
“The Kshatriyas and most backward castes remained ignored under various regimes, including my party’s rule,” Amar told the 3,000-strong gathering. He added that he would strive to forge a strong alliance between the two caste groups. Without naming Yadavs, he said a particular caste grew and developed in the recent past.
On the demand of a separate Purvanchal state, Amar said that it was also supported by prominent socialists like Madhukar Dighe and Shatrudra Prakash in the past. “The development of this region is not possible without the creation of a separate state of Purvanchal,” he said.
Singh, who reached very late at the venue, said one should not go by the size of the crowd. “Lord Buddha had begun his movement with a small number of supporters,” he added.
He said that he has heard SP leader and Mulayam’s son Akhilesh Yadav making enquiries about the size of crowd at the Varanasi meeting. “He is like my son. He and his father had invited me in the meetings of Yadav Mahasabha, but I never asked about the number of people who attended such meetings,” Amar said.
At the same time he added that he did not believe that Akhilesh would have made such enquiries.
The yatra, organised under the banner of Akhil Bharatiya Kshatriya Mahasabha, will conclude at Mathura on February 20 after travelling all the districts of the state.
—Agencies