Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) president Om Prakash Rajbhar said here on Wednesday that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had accepted his demand for the inclusion of the Rajbhar community in the list of Schedule Tribes.

The SBSP president said he brought up the demand for tribal status for the

Rajbhar community before the chief minister who he said agreed with him.

Rajbhar further said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asked him to compile a proposal of his demand and send it to the Centre.

The SBSP president on Tuesday met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and raised the demand to include Bhar and Rajbhar communities in the Scheduled Tribes category. He met the chief minister along with his son Arvind Rajbhar.

Rajbhar also said he brought up the issue of demolition drives against illegal construction on government lands. Rajbhar said he appealed to the chief minister not to bulldoze the houses of poor people from the backward communities who were living in such areas for over 50 years.

He said the chief minister immediately directed his principal secretary to ensure that no action was taken against the poor,

Rajbhar, a former ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party, contested this year's Uttar Pradesh Assembly election in alliance with the Samajwadi Party. However, he parted ways with the Akhilesh Yadav-led party soon after the results were announced, in which the BJP won a clear majority.

Rajbhar's party was earlier in alliance with the BJP but he quit the National Democratic Alliance after 2019 Lok Sabha polls, alleging that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was against the backward classes.