A war of words erupted in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday over Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav’s remark, which was seen as a reference to the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). Without naming anyone, Yadav said, ‘we turned 25 paise into a rupee, and yet they left us.’ The RLD linked the remark to Jat pride, while Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati demanded that the SP apologize to the entire Jat community for allegedly insulting the family of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.
Mayawati wrote on X, ’The public statement by the Samajwadi Party chief about his old ally Rashtriya Lok Dal and the leader of that party, the Union Minister, that ‘we have turned them from 25 paise into rupees,’ is completely indecent, unbecoming and extremely shameful.’ She added that Yadav should apologize not only to the RLD and its leader but also to the entire Jat community for insulting the family of late Chaudhary Charan Singh ji.
The BSP leader further stated that the SP’s conduct, character, and face have always been unpleasant and unreliable, plagued by political narrow-mindedness and casteist hatred. She claimed that this has allowed the BJP to take political and electoral advantage of the situation, weakening secular forces.
SP president Akhilesh Yadav made the remark while addressing an event recently, saying, ‘I don’t know from where all people came to form an alliance with us. We had increased their value from 25 paise to one full rupee, yet they left us and went away.’ Although Yadav did not name anyone, he was referring to Mr Chaudhary’s ‘chavanni’ comment during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election campaign.
Reacting to the statement, RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary said, ‘If you had to use some cheap words in the political battle, you could have said it by taking my name. There was no issue…Targeting the Jat community and saying we taught them ABCD?’ He also wrote on X, ‘I have seen this arrogance closely and believe that such behaviour only leads to downfall.’
SP State president Shyam Lal Pal responded by saying that the party had helped a community that was politically marginalized, in an apparent reference to the RLD and the Jat community.
