Two regional allies of NDA - SBSP and Apna Dal (S) - are boycotting Prime Minister Modi's events in Varanasi and Ghazipur.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has come under pressure from ally Apna Dal (S) in Uttar Pradesh as the regional party has decided to boycott Prime Minister Narendra Modi's event in Varanasi and Ghazipur, citing "arrogant attitude of BJP leaders."
"Arrogant attitude of BJP UP leaders is insulting weaker sections of society, I appeal to PM to intervene. Till matter is not solved, we will not be part of any government programmes in UP including today's events," Apna Dal (S) president Ashish Patel said. Patel said he was confident that BJP president Amit Shah will hear him out and sort out the matter between the parties.
On Friday, Mr Patel said his party was planning to contest 10 seats, including Varanasi which is represented by Prime Minister Modi, in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, a report said. The party had contested two seats - Mirzapur and Pratapgarh - in 2014 and won both.
The Apna Dal (S) wields influence in over 15 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh, with its core voter base of Kurmi Patel forming a big chunk of electorates in these constituencies.
Prime minister's constituency Varanasi has nearly one lakh voters from Kurmi community.
Ashish Patel is the husband of Union Minister Anupriya Patel who has endorsed his earlier remarks expressing anguish at the "treatment" of smaller NDA allies. Anupriya, Union Minister of State for Health, on Wednesday gave a miss to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's programme in Deoria district of the state. She also skipped a function attended by the chief minister in Siddharthnagar district on Tuesday.
Now, Patel is skipping Prime Minister Modi' events in Varanasi and Ghazipur where he will inaugurate a number of development projects. He will inaugurate the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and South Asia Regional Centre (ISARC) on the campus of National Seed Research and Training Centre (NSRTC) in Varanasi and will also attend the 'One District, One Product' Regional Summit at Deendayal Hastakala Sankul (Trade Facilitation Centre & Crafts Museum).
The Prime Minister will also release a commemorative postal stamp on Maharaja at an event in Ghazipur, where he will also address a public rally.
Maharaja Suheldeo Rajbhar is a revered icon for the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), headed by UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, another disgruntled NDA ally. The Rajbhar community has considerable influence in several eastern UP Lok Sabha seats including Ghazipur, Jaunpur and Azamgarh.
Rajbhar, an MLA from Zahoorabad assembly constituency in Ghazipur district, announced that he will not attend the prime minister's programme.
"I will not attend the December 29 programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ghazipur," Rajbhar had told reporters a few days back.
Rajbhar is sore over the commemorative postal stamp on backward caste leader Maharaja Suheldev Rajbhar not carrying his full name.
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