'Changing colours like chameleon': Mayawati slams Akhilesh over PDA's 'Pandit' twist

NEW DELHI: BSP supremo Mayawati on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party, accusing it of changing its political position for electoral gains after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav gave a new interpretation to the party’s PDA formula.BSP chief Mayawati alleged that the SP was now trying to attract Brahmin voters after noticing growing support for the BSP among upper-caste communities, particularly Brahmins.Her remarks came after Akhilesh Yadav, while addressing a Brahmin Sammelan in Lucknow earlier this week, said the “P” in the SP’s PDA formula -- Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak, could also stand for “Pandit”. He also accused the BJP government of targeting Brahmins.In a post on X, Mayawati said, "As is well known, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is an Ambedkarite party dedicated to the welfare of all sections of society, implementing the policy and principle of 'Sarvajan Hitaya and Sarvajan Sukhaya,' and the four governments it 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 interests, etc."Mayawati then took aim at the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party over its latest interpretation of the PDA formula, alleging that the party was changing the meaning of “P” from “Pichhde” to “Pandit” to attract Brahmin voters."In this very sequence, after first promoting 'P' in their so-called 'PDA'--meaning (Backward, Dalit, Minority)--as 'Pichhde' (Backward), now, upon seeing the upper-caste society, especially the Brahmin community, rapidly joining the BSP and party candidates being nominated on that very basis, the SP, feeling unsettled, has now changed 'P' to 'Pandit,' which is nothing short of another living proof of their political deception and trickery, if not, then what else is it?" the post read.Mayawati also urged voters from all communities to remain alert against what she called the SP’s “narrow casteist politics”. She argued that such strategies might bring short-term electoral gains but would not serve the interests of society as a whole."Such politics of deception and trickery may temporarily benefit some individual for a short while, but it can never lead to the welfare of the entire society. Therefore, people from all sections of society must certainly remain vigilant against such a deceptive Samajwadi Party (SP) and its narrow casteist politics; this is the demand of the times and also in the interest of all sections of society," the post further read.Akhilesh hailed his "Pichchde, Dalit, Adivasi -- PDA" formula after strongly denting BJP in Lok Sabha elections 2024.The exchange between the two former chief ministers comes as Uttar Pradesh gradually enters election mode, with assembly polls due next year.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.