After Akhilesh, OP Rajbhar says, 'Partition wouldn't happen if Jinnah was made India's PM'

Days after Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav stoked controversy by comparing Muhammad Ali Jinnah with Mahatma Gandhi, and other freedom fighters, now SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar has attempted to play the Jinnah card in election-bound Uttar Pradesh.

Throwing weight behind Akhilesh Yadav's disputed remarks, Rajbhar opined that India's partition would have never happened if Jinnah was made the first Prime Minister of India. 

The Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party leader claimed that both former PM Atal Bihar Vajpayee and his then Deputy LK Advani concurred with the idea that Jinnah should have been the first Indian PM. 

"Partition would not have happened if Jinnah was made the First Prime Minister of India. Read about the thoughts Atal ji, Advani ji and why they used to praise him," Rajbhar told media persons, in reaction to Akhilesh Yadav's remarks.

When pressed further on the issue,  the SBSP said the BJP has no election topic to discuss other than Jinnah. "If you take out Hindu-Muslim, India-Pakistan from the BJP, their lips are tied. They have no other topics to talk about. Why don't they talk about inflation, anarchy, and politics of hate?" he asked.

Earlier, SP chief and former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav had compared Muhammad Ali Jinnah with Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Jawaharlal Nehru, claiming that the founder of Pakistan 'fought for India's independence.'

Rajbhar's former ally Owaisi on earlier 'Jinnah' remark

The statement had drawn strong reactions from the BJP and other Opposition leaders including AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. The Hyderabad MP had rejected Akhilesh Yadav's remarks, stating that Jinnah was in fact the 'main Architect of Pakistan'. Earlier, Owaisi's AIMIM had forged an alliance with Rajbhar's SBSP but moved away after the latter's alliance with Akhilesh Yadav's SP.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Anurag Thakur has reacted to Rajbhar's comments, slamming the leader for his 'appeasement politics'.

"As elections approach, appeasement politics begins in every state. Now they start reciting the name of Jinnah but the people of UP will answer them," Thakur said.