# UP minister Rajbhar asks new officials to ‘burn’ SP, Congress

2026-09-28T19:17:38+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar has sparked a political row by asking newly appointed Gram Panchayat Officers to help defeat the Samajwadi Party and Congress in the 2027 assembly elections. Speaking at a government programme in Lucknow where appointment letters were distributed to 1,375 recruits, Rajbhar invoked Lord Hanuman's burning of Lanka and asked: 'Will you burn the Lanka of the Samajwadi Party and Congress or not?' The minister urged the officials to publicise the work of the Yogi Adityanath government and campaign for a third term for Adityanath. The Congress and SP criticised Rajbhar for using a government event to target political rivals. Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai questioned whether it was a government programme or a political rally. Rajbhar, who heads BJP ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, also described opposition workers as 'dead people' and said they practised politics of hatred. The state heads to assembly elections in 2027.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

Both nationalheraldindia.com and timesofindia.indiatimes.com offer neutral straight reporting of the remarks and the opposition's criticism. The key difference is the order of facts: nationalheraldindia.com opens with the political row and opposition reaction before presenting the remarks in full, while timesofindia.indiatimes.com leads with the remarks themselves and then adds the reaction. Neither source omits the opposition's complaint, and both include Rajbhar's justification. The uniform coverage means the story is simply a factual record of a controversial speech at a government event, with the next flashpoint being the 2027 campaign. However, what both sources miss is the broader context: Rajbhar's role as a coalition partner means his rhetoric is also a signal to the BJP's core base about alliance loyalty, not just an attack on rivals. The opposition will likely escalate this into a Election Commission complaint over misuse of government machinery.

## Coverage

- nationalheraldindia.com (neutral report) <https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/will-you-burn-sp-congress-lanka-up-minister-rajbhars-remarks-at-govt-event-spark-row>
  Leads with row and reaction, but gives full account of remarks
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/sp-congress-ki-lanka-jalaoge-up-ministers-remarks-to-new-govt-recruits-spark-row/articleshow/134547323.cms>
  Leads with remarks, adds reaction later, PTI-sourced

Tags: 2027 UP elections, Congress, Om Prakash Rajbhar, Samajwadi Party, Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath
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