The political turmoil surrounding the “PDA” (Backward, Dalit, Minority) alliance in Uttar Pradesh shows no signs of abating. Following a sharp attack by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, Maulana Sajid Rashidi, president of the All India Imam Association, has launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party. Sajid Rashidi sarcastically coined the term “PDA” and called it the “Old Riot Alliance.”
In fact, the Samajwadi Party, which is busy working on the upcoming election equations, is now being surrounded from all sides by its PDA move. Maulana Sajid Rashidi alleged that the SP’s sole aim is to secure Muslim votes. He stated clearly that by adding the word “minority” to the PDA, the SP has attempted to mislead Muslims, whereas the truth is that minority does not only mean the Muslim community.
‘SP should announce a Muslim CM, otherwise it will not succeed’
Maulana Sajid Rashidi questioned the core vote bank of Akhilesh Yadav’s party, saying that the SP has always relied on the “YM” (Yadav-Muslim) factor. However, the Muslim community has now become increasingly aware of its rights. He challenged the SP leadership, saying that unless the Samajwadi Party declares a Muslim chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh, their political calculations will fail. According to Rashidi, the SP is failing on every front, and it will no longer be possible for them to retain the Muslim vote bank solely on promises.
Mayawati called it a party that changes colours like a chameleon.
This entire controversy began with a statement by BSP chief Mayawati, in which she strongly criticized the policies of the Samajwadi Party (SP). Speaking on social media, Mayawati stated that the BSP is a party that follows the principle of “Sarvajana Hitaya and Sarvajana Sukhaya” and that she has ruled Uttar Pradesh four times on this principle. Mayawati alleged that the Samajwadi Party (SP) changes its colors like a chameleon to serve its electoral interests.
Accused of changing the meaning of ‘P’ from backward to ‘Pandit’
Mayawati took a dig at the “P” in the SP’s PDA, saying that initially, the “P” stood for “backward,” but now that the upper castes, especially the Brahmin community, are increasingly joining the BSP, the SP is becoming increasingly nervous. She claimed that, disturbed by the BSP’s nomination of Brahmin candidates, the SP has now begun promoting the “P” as “Pandit.” According to the BSP supremo, this is living proof of the SP’s political deceit and trickery. Overall, this battle that began before the elections over the PDA now appears to be taking the form of a dent in the SP’s core vote bank.