Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Saturday criticised the Samajwadi Party over its outreach to Brahmins, accusing it of repeatedly changing its colours like a chameleon to suit its caste-based politics and electoral interests.
In a post on X in Hindi, Mayawati said 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'.
"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.
The BSP chief questioned the SP's 'PDA' formula.
"In the PDA -- which stands for Pichhda (Backwards), Dalit, and Alpsankhyak (Minority) -- promoted by the SP, the first 'P' originally stood for Pichhda. However, rattled by seeing the upper-caste community, particularly Brahmins, aligning with the BSP and the party fielding candidates from that section, the SP has now redefined the 'P' for 'Pandit'. This proves their political deception," Mayawati said.
She said such political deceit might bring temporary, short-term benefit to a specific individual, but it can never lead to the welfare of society as a whole.
"Therefore, people from all sections of society must remain alert to the deceptive SP and its narrow, casteist politics. This is both the need of the hour and in the interest of society at large," the BSP chief said.
Mayawati's X post assumes significance because the SP president Akhilesh Yadav reached out to the Brahmin community on Wednesday, asserting that 'PDA' includes Pandits.
He also accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of 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," Yadav said at a Brahmin Sammelan organised at the SP state headquarters in Lucknow on the birth anniversary of late socialist leader Janeshwar Mishra.
(With inputs from PTI)