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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav, accusing him of mocking Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder Kanshi Ram and insulting the Dalit community.
The controversy erupted following remarks made by Yadav at a recent public event.
Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya shared a video of Yadav’s speech, alleging that the SP leader belittled Kanshi Ram to elevate the legacy of his father and SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.
“Akhilesh Yadav first insulted the Kshatriya community by supporting the SP MP who called Rana Sanga a traitor. Now he is mocking the Dalit community’s guide, Kanshi Ram, only to make him look smaller than Mulayam Singh,” Malviya posted.
He further criticized Yadav’s political stance, stating, “Now it seems you have started smelling foul from every section of Hindu society. There is no cure for this disease called ‘secularism.’ ”
Akhilesh Yadav’s Remarks Spark Backlash
The BJP’s reaction came in response to Akhilesh Yadav’s recent speech, where he commented on Kanshi Ram’s electoral journey.
Referring to Kanshi Ram’s first Lok Sabha win, Yadav said, “While this is history, it is also true that if anyone helped the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party enter the Lok Sabha, it was the voters of this place. He couldn’t win from anywhere else.”
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Yadav further claimed that it was Mulayam Singh Yadav and socialist voters who enabled Kanshi Ram’s 1991 victory, emphasizing the SP-BSP alliance’s role in his electoral success.
Historical Context And Political Fallout
Kanshi Ram, who founded the BSP in 1984, devoted his political life to the empowerment of Dalits and marginalized communities.
After facing years of struggle, he finally secured a Lok Sabha seat from Etawah in 1991, under the SP-BSP alliance.
The Samajwadi Party had strategically withdrawn its candidate from Jaswantnagar, aiding Kanshi Ram’s victory.
The alliance marked a pivotal moment in Uttar Pradesh’s political landscape, uniting backward classes and Dalits against the then-rising BJP.
However, the coalition fell apart after the 1995 guest house incident, when SP workers allegedly attacked BSP leader Mayawati.
The event triggered a long-standing rift between the two parties.
Kanshi Ram’s Enduring Legacy
Despite the political fallout, Kanshi Ram’s 1991 victory cemented his stature as a national Dalit leader and helped establish the BSP as a major political force in India.
His legacy continues to influence Dalit politics and remains central to the party’s identity.
As political tensions escalate ahead of the upcoming elections, the BJP’s criticism of Akhilesh Yadav signals a renewed focus on identity politics and legacy battles in Uttar Pradesh.
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