Mayawati takes dig at Akhilesh Yadav over ‘PDA chariot’, questions SP’s ‘saffron’ shift

New Delhi: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief, Mayawati, on Monday targeted Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav over the party’s ‘PDA Chariot’ ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, questioning its colour scheme and electoral strategy.

The SP’s Rath Yatra is part of its preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections and is centred on its PDA (Pichhde i.e. Backward Classes, Dalits, and Alpsankhyaks i.e. Minorities) formulation.

Taking to social media platform X in Hindi, Mayawati said the ‘PDA Chariot’ promoted by the SP chief featured less of the party’s traditional red colour and more of the RSS/BJP’s ‘saffron’ colour.

“The Samajwadi Party (SP) chief’s ‘PDA Chariot’ features less of the SP’s own red color and more of the RSS/BJP’s ‘saffron’ color. In such a situation, the discussion among people is whether this is all about constantly changing colours like a chameleon for the sake of vote gains, or whether the SP chief has lost faith in securing votes from Muslims,” she said in the tongue-in-cheek post.

She further claimed that the Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh was aware of what she described as the SP’s electoral record.

“In any case, the Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh, in particular, is fully aware of this bitter reality: Despite giving the SP the majority of one-sided votes in the previous elections, this party (SP) was still unable to prevent the BJP from forming governments in both UP and at the Centre. So why waste votes by giving them to this party time and again? In this matter, they are now swiftly shifting their stance toward the BSP, much like the Brahmin community among the upper castes,” Mayawati claimed.

Mayawati further added, “Because the BSP has, several times in UP, demonstrated the establishment of an ironclad rule of law—particularly in matters of crime control and law and order alongside outstanding achievements in broad public interest, public welfare, and development, which the state urgently needs for the welfare and well-being of all sections of society.”

Mayawati further said that SP should also make sure to inform the public about the true reality of their ‘PDA’ now.

“At the same time, the SP should also make sure to inform the public about the true reality of their ‘PDA’ now. Because, in electoral self-interest so far, they have sometimes described ‘PD’ as ‘Backward, Dalit,’ sometimes as ‘Pandit,’ and in an attempt to portray themselves as ‘Ambedkarites,’ they have worn BSP’s blue-coloured attire and gotten photos taken. However, people immediately rejected this by calling it fake Ambedkarism,” she said.

She said that the BSP is an Ambedkarite party.

“In contrast, the BSP is an Ambedkarite party with the policy and principle of ‘Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay’ for the welfare of all sections of society, and it advocates for everyone to live a life of self-respect and dignity with roti (bread), rozgar (employment), and the like. That is why the BSP commands respect across all sections of society,” Mayawati added.

IANS