Ballia (UP), Oct 5 (PTI) Amid indications of growing proximity with Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Wednesday described him “a permanent friend” and a “leader of the masses”.
The duo shared the dais for the inaugural ceremony of a private hospital in Rasra area here, during which Rajbhar, too, was all praise for the Yogi Adityanath government, saying the condition of government hospitals in the state was improving.
Rajbhar, who had fought the Assembly elections earlier this year as part of the Samajwadi Party-led alliance and got six seats, had later parted ways with it. His proximity to the ruling BJP came to the fore during the Presidential election.
Rajbhar, a backward class leader who commands a strong influence in the eastern Uttar Pradesh districts, had fought the 2017 Assembly elections with the BJP and was also a minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led government before parting ways.
The Uttar Pradesh government had recently accorded him ‘Y’ category security.
Addressing the programme, Pathak said, “Om Prakash Rajbhar is a permanent friend. He resides in my heart and we have family relations. Whatever he says, he fulfills.” “Rajbhar is a leader of the grassroots and the poor,” he added.
Later, when reporters asked Rajbhar about the chances of his party’s alliance with the BJP, he said a decision will be taken during the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
When asked whether he would join hands with the BJP or the Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance), Rajbhar evaded a categorical reply.
Taking a question on the medical facilities in Uttar Pradesh, he said government hospitals in the state have long been in bad shape, Rajbhar but praised the Adityanath government’s efforts in improving them.
“The continuous visits of Brajesh Pathak to government hospitals is changing the scenario,” Rajbhar said and described him a successful deputy chief minister.
Talking to reporters, Pathak targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and alleged that he has “mortgaged the party”.
“The public has seen him closely and has already rejected the Congress. Now, their fate is going to worsen,” Pathak said, adding that Gandhi neither has a policy or an agenda.
Gandhi has misused his power and has made fun of democracy, Pathak alleged.
Pathak, who also holds the health portfolio, said the Yogi Adityanath government is committed to providing high quality health facilities to the people.
“About 1.80 lakh patients are coming to government hospitals every day. The government is trying to ensure that they get free medicine and treatment,” he said. PTI COR SAB CJ CJ
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Source: The Print
