The Times of India (Chennai) ·
Politics
Once allies, now rivals: Decoding deepening fault lines between Akhilesh & Jayant
and Jayant Chaudharywere once allies. Now, every exchange between them seems to make their fallout a little more bitter and also personal.
Their ongoing face-off touched a new low this week after Jayant unleashed another strong attack on his former ally. "When we had an alliance with them, we knew many things, but all those details are not supposed to be shared. It is my ‘gravity’ that I don’t talk about those things. If I open my mouth and share all those details, he won’t find space to even stand in Uttar Pradesh," Jayant warned Akhilesh.
The RLD chief's angry reaction came after he was asked about Akhilesh’s remarks on number of seats Jayant should get to contest in the 2027 assembly elections as part of the BJP-led NDA.
Akhilesh, who has often targeted Jayant ever since they parted ways in 2024, had mocked the RLD's current standing within the NDA and suggested that the BJP should give it many more seats than what it got under SP alliance if it truly respected the legacy of Chaudhary Charan Singh, Jayant’s grandfather and former Prime Minister.
Jayant hit back strongly and accused Akhilesh of making "light remarks."
"Chaudhary Charan Singh's legacy cannot be decided by the number of seats RLD gets to contest as part of the NDA alliance. There has always been respect for him in people's hearts and that respect will always be there. Even if RLD does not get even one seat, it will not impact the respect for Chaudhary Charan Singh."
Jayant also tried to turn the Chavvani jibe against Akhilesh and said: "PDA (which refers to backwards, dalits and minorities) plank of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav was aimed at reaching out beyond the party's traditional vote bank, but people would also judge on how much respect and unity the party had maintained with its earlier supporters.”
The RLD allies once again came out strongly in support of Jayant and attacked the SP leadership.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath led the counter-attack on behalf of Jayant and termed the SP chief's comments an "insult to democracy". He accused Akhilesh of making a "mockery of democratic discourse" by resorting to cheap language against political opponents. The UP CM also labeled Akhilesh’s remarks as an insult to the entire farming community and the legacy of former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh. Other UP ministers also jumped to the defence of Jayant Chaudhary.
The latest exchange comes after an ugly war of words last month triggered by Akhilesh Yadav’s “chavanni” jibe at Jayant over walking out of the SP alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and joining the BJP-led NDA.
The origins of Akhilesh’s Chavanni jibe go back to January 2022. Jayant, who was then allied with the Samajwadi Party, was asked about attempts by the BJP to bring him into its camp.
"Main koi chavanni hoon jo palat jaunga" (I am not a 25 paise coin that will flip), Jayant had said then. But two years later, the “chavvani” did flip.
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the RLD walked out of its alliance with the SP and joined the NDA. This happened after the Modi government conferred the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor, posthumously to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh in February 2024, months before the Lok Sabha elections.
At a recent event, the SP chief recalled Jayant’s political switch and 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. (“People from all sorts of places had come to ally with us. We had raised their political worth from a ‘chavanni’ to a full rupee, yet they left us and walked away.”)."
Akhilesh did not take names, but the reference was obvious.
Jayant had reacted strongly to Akhilesh’s jibe and accused the SP chief of making 'cheap' remarks. “If he wanted to attack me politically, he should have taken my name directly instead of making indirect references,” Jayant had then said.
The RLD chief had then received strong support from his allies, with the BJP coming out in his defence. Even BSP chief Mayawati backed Jayant. They quickly turned Akhilesh’s attack on Jayant into an attack against Chaudhary Charan Singh, the farmers and the Jat community.
So, why is Akhilesh targeting Jayant? Is he still trying to settle political scores for the RLD chief’s betrayal in 2024? Or is Akhilesh trying to drive a wedge between RLD and BJP ahead of the assembly elections?
Akhilesh knows that the stakes are high for all political parties in Western Uttar Pradesh. With the RLD no longer on his side, the SP chief plans to go all out to strengthen its presence in the region ahead of the 2027 polls.
Jayant Chaudhary, meanwhile, has been trying to broaden the RLD’s social base and extend his party’s areas of influence in Uttar Pradesh. This is important for him to show his clout within the NDA. Western UP, with its sizeable Jat, Muslim and farming communities, has traditionally been an important electoral battleground for Jayant and RLD.
The politics in the region is already beginning to get tense. Last week, Akhilesh had to cancel his Western UP outreach in the region after a party meeting planned in Bulandshahr could not be held. The local administration, citing waterlogging, refused permission for landing of his chopper. The SP alleged that the waterlogging was an "excuse" and that the BJP-led government was behind the denial.
The SP reacted by announcing that the party will organise a series of rallies in Western UP, beginning from Bulandshahr. "Sometime later this month, the national president will visit Bulandshahr and he will also tour every district of western Uttar Pradesh. Saharanpur will also be included in the programme in due course," senior SP leader and party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said.
"The public is watching and understanding everything. When the time comes, they will teach the BJP a befitting lesson," he said.
Saharanpur is also expected to figure in the SP's upcoming political outreach. The district has recently witnessed a political and legal controversy following the demolition of a mosque structure in the collectorate premises.
So, the SP’s aggressive pitch against Jayant could be part of its political offensive to dominate the region.
Why is Akhilesh speculating RLD seats?
Is Akhilesh’s ploy of linking RLD seats to the legacy of Chaudhary Charan Singh an attempt to drive a wedge between Jayant and the BJP?
When Jayant contested the 2022 assembly elections with Akhilesh, the RLD had got 33 seats as part of the SP alliance. Now, by linking seats for RLD to Chaudhary Charan Singh’s legacy, Akhilesh could be trying to pile pressure on both Jayant and the BJP when they sit to negotiate a workable formula to divide seats, especially in Western Uttar Pradesh, where RLD has a strong presence.
But will this work? Political analyst J P Shukla says no. “If Akhilesh Yadav hopes to gain from trying to create differences between RLD and BJP, he is not going to succeed. It is now too late for any major political realignment. By now, they would have settled most of the issues among them,” Shukla says.
Shukla terms these political face-offs as an attempt by leaders to keep their cadres engaged and energised for the political battle.
Senior political analyst Anand Vardhan Singh says Jayant would not mind the attention from the war of words with Akhilesh. “His strong remark against Akhilesh is posturing for a greater share of seats. And to that extent, the confrontation with Akhilesh helps,” he says.
Singh says Jayant has little room to manoeuvre as most of the Jats would stay with the BJP even if the RLD chief decides to leave the NDA.
Explaining Akhilesh’s attacks, Anand Vardhan Singh says, “Akhilesh is desperate for Dalit votes and would not mind being branded anti-Jats.”
Could Akhilesh end up helping Jayant?
While Akhilesh may be stepping up his political attacks on Jayant to push him on the back foot, the SP chief should be wary of his strategy being counterproductive. His remarks have already prompted BJP leaders to rally behind Jayant Chaudhary. From chief minister Yogi Adityanath to several UP ministers, BJP leaders have hit back at Akhilesh, presenting his attacks on Jayant as an insult to Chaudhary Charan Singh, farmers and the Jat community.
Even BSP chief Mayawati came out openly in support of the RLD chief after the Chavvani face-off. Mayawati condemned Akhilesh Yadav and sought his apology.
"The public statement made by the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief regarding his former ally party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, and its leader, the Union Minister--that "Hum logon ne chavanni ko rupaiya bana diya, phir bhi chhod ke chale gaye"--is utterly indecent, unbecoming, and extremely shameful.
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For such arrogant and undemocratic rhetoric, he should immediately apologize 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," wrote Mayawati in an X post.
For the RLD, the attacks may end up doing more good than harm. They give Jayant Chaudhary another opportunity to underline his political relevance in western Uttar Pradesh and, in turn, strengthen his hand when the NDA sits down to work out its seat-sharing formula for 2027. If that happens, Akhilesh’s attempts to put Jayant on the defensive could very well boomerang.