Section of party leaders unhappy with such meetings as they feel the party is digressing from its main agenda-breaking the caste system Samajawadi Party joined the race to lure Brahmin votes in the state by organising a meeting of Samajwadi Brahmin Sabha at the party headquarters on the occasion of Parshuram Jayanti on Sunday. Addressing the gathering,party state president Akhilesh Yadav,who was the chief guest on the occasion,said the Brahmin Samaj has always taken a lead role in any movement in our country. He appealed to the Brahmins to fight against corruption prevailing in the state. He informed the gathering that party national president Mulayam Singh Yadav could not attend todays meeting as he was unwell. According to him,the party has always ensured proper respect for Brahmins. He recalled that his father had declared Parshuram Jayanti as a public holiday during his tenure as the chief minister of the state. He also reminded the gathering that the party had given important positions to Brahmin leaders within the organisation. According to sources in SP,with such meetings,the party wants to avoid a complete loss of Brahmin votes to the BSP and Congress. The party wants to communicate to the Brahmins that they have the option to join SP, said a party source. A section of SP leaders was,however,unhappy with the partys decision to hold a meeting in the name of Samajwadi Brahmin Sabha. According to such leaders,this indicates the frustration within the Samajwadi camp. I had opposed the idea of holding a meeting of Samajwadi Brahmins. It gives a clear message that the party has got diverted from its main agenda to break the caste system, a senior SP leader said. Party national vice-president Brijbhushan Tewari,however,denied that SP is promoting caste politics by holding such meetings. Caste is a factor in state politics. It is a way to create political awareness among various castes, he added.
