Akhilesh Yadav-Jayant Chaudhary face-off escalates over ‘chavanni’ jibe; Mayawati demands SP chief’s apology

Lucknow, Aug 22 (IANS) A political firestorm has erupted in Uttar Pradesh after Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Jayant Chaudhary launched a veiled attack at Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav over his recent “chavanni” remarks, intensifying the ongoing political confrontation in western Uttar Pradesh.

This came days after Yadav’s “chavanni” or 25-paise jibe, which has been interpreted as a dig at Chaudhary and his political journey. The remarks have triggered a sharp response from the RLD chief, who took an indirect swipe at the SP president while questioning his choice of words.

Addressing an event recently, Yadav said, “Jaane kahan-kahan se aa gaye the log gathbandhan banane. Humne chavanni ka rupya bana diya tha, tab bhi humein chhod kar chale gaye wo,” suggesting that several leaders had come forward to form an alliance with the SP and that his party had significantly enhanced their political standing, yet they eventually left.

Yadav was referring to the political alliances and leaders who, according to him, had benefited from their association with the Samajwadi Party but later moved away.

“We had increased their value from 25 paise to one full rupee, yet they left us and went away,” Yadav said, adding that the SP would now focus on “tying up with the public, establishing social justice, trusting the people, giving them respect and ensuring that the public supports us”.

The SP and RLD had contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections together as allies. Although Yadav did not specifically name Jayant Chaudhary while making the latest remark, his “chavanni” reference was widely seen as a reminder of Chaudhary’s own comment during the 2022 election campaign.

At that time, Chaudhary, who was an SP ally and had rejected political overtures from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had said that he was not a “chavanni” who could be easily “flipped”. The expression had become part of the political discourse during the election campaign.

Chaudhary has now responded to Yadav’s remarks with a veiled criticism of his former political ally. The RLD president said that if the SP chief intended to make “cheap” political remarks, he could have directly mentioned his name instead of making indirect references.

“In the battle of politics, if you had to use some cheap words, you could have at least taken my name. It wouldn’t have been an issue… Targeting the Jat community and saying, ‘We taught ABCD’? I’ve seen this arrogance up close, and I believe such behaviour only brings downfall!” Chaudhary said.

The exchange has added a fresh layer to the political rivalry between the two leaders, who were once allies in Uttar Pradesh. Their parties had joined hands for the 2022 Assembly polls, but the alliance subsequently broke down, with the RLD moving towards the BJP-led NDA.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also joined in the war of words on Saturday and launched a sharp attack against Akhilesh Yadav, accusing the SP chief of casteist and narrow-minded politics.

In a series of posts on X, Mayawati said the statement that the SP had “turned them into a rupee from a 25-paise coin” was “utterly indecent, unbecoming, and extremely shameful”.

She said Yadav should apologise to the RLD and its leader, as well as to the Jat community, for what she described as an insult to the family of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh.

Mayawati said: “As is well-known, the public statement made by the SP chief regarding his former ally party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, and its leader, the Union Minister — that ‘we turned them into a rupee from a 25-paise coin’ — is utterly indecent, unbecoming, and extremely shameful.”

“For such arrogant and undemocratic rhetoric, he should immediately apologise not only to that party and its leader but also to the entire Jat community for insulting the family of the late Chaudhary Charan Singh Ji; that would be appropriate,” she added.

The BSP chief further accused the SP of repeatedly displaying political narrow-mindedness and casteist hostility towards both allies and opponents, saying the BJP had benefited electorally from such situations while “secular forces have continued to weaken”.

Mayawati also recalled the 1993 SP-BSP alliance in Uttar Pradesh and its subsequent breakdown, referring to the June 2, 1995, Lucknow State Guest House incident. She said later SP-BSP alliance under Akhilesh Yadav for the Lok Sabha elections also broke down after the results, alleging that the SP subsequently adopted an “arrogant and selfish attitude” towards the BSP.

Defending the BSP’s ideological position, Mayawati said the party could never move away from the Ambedkarite principles of “sarvajan hitay, sarvajan sukhay”, which she said were aimed at the welfare and happiness of all sections of society.

She accused the SP of using alliances for its own political interests and subsequently turning against its former partners.

“This party (SP) only knows how to get its work done in alliances and, once its work is done, changes its colour like a chameleon and freely uses abusive language against the other party — this is the SP’s old behaviour,” Mayawati claimed.

She also criticised Akhilesh Yadav’s use of the PDA formulation, alleging that the SP had failed to work for backward classes beyond its own caste, minorities and upper-caste communities, particularly Brahmins.

Mayawati further alleged that SP governments had witnessed the “exploitation and oppression” of Dalits, backward classes, minorities and upper-caste society, while accusing the party of benefiting “goons, criminals, mafias, and other anarchic elements”.

She urged voters across Uttar Pradesh to ensure that the SP does not return to power in the upcoming Assembly elections, saying such a decision would be in their interest.

–IANS

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