Tussle over Suheldev’s caste among leaders of various parties

While BJP MP from Bansgaon claims the 11th century king was a Pasi, SBSP chief says he belonged to a subcaste of Rajbhar community

A tug of war has erupted among the leaders of various political parties to grab the legacy of Maharaja Suheldev, an 11th century ruler, who is said to have defeated and killed Ghaznavid general Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud in a battle at Bahraich in 1034 AD.

Kamlesh Paswan, the BJP MP from Bansgaon seat in Gorakhpur, shot off a letter to President Ramnath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday alleging that some people in the UP government were tampering with the historical facts by adding Rajbhar surname to Maharaja Suheldev whereas the fact was that Suheldev belonged to Pasi community.

The state government should mention Maharaja Suheldev Pasi on the memorial and other projects launched by PM Nanrendra Modi on Tuesday to commemorate the contribution of the legendary king on the occasion of his birth anniversary, he said.

Drawing attention to state backward class welfare minister Anil Rajbhar’s statement in Bahriach on Monday in which he had stated that Maharaja Suheldev belonged to Rajbhar community, Paswan said the statement had ignited anger among the Pasi community across the state who had great regard and admiration for Suheldev.

The state government should verify the historical documents to add Pasi surname to the memorial and other projects launched in the name of Maharaja Suheldev, he said.

Om Prakash Rajbhar, the former UP minister and president Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj

Party (SBSP) claimed that in historical texts, including Mirat-i-Masudi written by Abdur Rahman Chisti during the Mughal period, as well the texts written by British historians it was clearly mentioned that Maharaja Suheldev belonged to “Bhar” community—a sub caste of Rajbhar.

“The statue of Suheldev unveiled by former chief minister Rajnath Singh in Lucknow bears the surname Rajbhar. The SBSP will oppose any move by the state government to project Suheldev as Pasi community king. The party will also organise meetings in the Rajbhar-dominated areas across the state to highlight the contribution of Maharaja Suheldev,” he said.

Senior BSP leader Ramachal Rajbhar said under the BSP government in UP, several development projects were launched by the then CM Mayawati to highlight the role of Maharaja Suhldev in empowering the weaker section of the society.

“Eying the Dalit community vote, the BJP government is invoking name of Suheldev before the 2022 UP assembly polls. The BSP will highlight the work done by its government to include the name of Maharaja Suheldev among the Dalit icons,” he said.

A Samajwadi Party leader GP Yadav said, “The BJP leaders are raising the issue of Maharaja Suheldev’s caste to divide the Dalit community to serve the vote bank politics. The Samajwadi Party in a message released today (Tuesday) has clearly mentioned that Maharaja Suheldev belonged to Rajbhar community.”

Yogesh Parveen, a Lucknowbased historian, said during ancient and medieval periods several kings, who ruled in various regions of Uttar Pradesh, belonged to Dalit and backward communities.

“There are several ancient forts belonging to Pasi rulers in Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh. These rulers challenged the might of the invaders during the medieval period. Rather than indulging in caste politics, the political parties should highlight the legacy and contribution of these rulers,” he said.

A state government officer, who did not wish to be named, said to avoid controversy the surname of Maharaja Suheldev was not mentioned on any projects launched by the PM and the CM in a programme organised in Bahraich district on Tuesday.