Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav made a huge attempt to garner support for his party for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections when he tried to reach out to the Brahmins in the state by asserting that the 'P' in 'PDA' stands for 'Pandits'. However, Akhilesh's outreach was massively criticised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), who said the former chief minister was changing colours like a chameleon.
For BJP, which is seeking a third straight term in Uttar Pradesh, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak led the charge, who said Akhilesh pretends to be a 'well-wisher' for Brahmins and alleged that he was countering ideas with "bitterness and baseless accusations". He also referred to a recent interaction between Akhilesh and a reporter, whose video is being widely circulated on social media.
"Today, you are pretending to be a well-wisher of the Brahmin community, but the words that came from your mouth -- asking a journalist his caste and saying, Mishra Ji, have some shame -- still pierce the heart of the community like a spear. The upliftment of society does not come from securing power for one family, but from providing equal opportunities, justice, and respect to every class," Pathak, who remains a leading Brahmin face for BJP in Uttar Pradesh, said.
"As far as my public life is concerned, the public evaluates it. I have always placed the organization, the Constitution, and public service above all. Personal accusations, abusive words, and malicious propaganda can neither change the truth nor the trust of the people," the deputy chief minister said in Hindi in a long post on X (formerly Twitter).
BSP national president Mayawati also criticised the 'PDA' formula and said Akhilesh's party has kept changing its colours like a chameleon, while urging people not to fall of the "deceptive Samajwadi Party". The former chief minister said such casteist politics can never lead to the welfare of society as a whole.
"The four governments the BSP formed in UP were also run on this very basis, whereas the Samajwadi Party (SP) keeps changing colours like a chameleon, openly and evidently, for the sake of its narrow casteist politics and electoral self-interests," she said in Hindi on X.
On Wednesday, Akhilesh was speaking at a Brahmin Sammelan organised at the party state headquarters in Lucknow on the birth anniversary of late socialist leader Janeshwar Mishra when described the 'P' in 'PDA' is for 'Pandits'. In his address, he also hit out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh and said it is targeting opposition workers, Brahmins, and religious leaders, including Shankaracharya.
"People keep talking about PDA and inventing new definitions for it. Ever since they lost to PDA, they have been trying to redefine it. But they have forgotten that the 'PD' in PDA also stands for Pandit. The more pain (peeda) they inflict, the stronger PDA will become," Akhilesh had said.
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