New Delhi [India], October 28 (ANI): Amid intensifying political activity ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, state BJP president and Union Minister Pankaj Chaudhary launched a sharp attack on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

Speaking to ANI, he dismissed the opposition's 'PDA' (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) plank as a 'mere mask to hide dynastic ambitions'. Chaudhary said the SP leadership is 'afraid' to even mention its own party's name in public.

Union Minister Pankaj Chaudhary claimed that Akhilesh Yadav keeps shifting the definitions of 'PDA' because reminding voters of the Samajwadi Party instantly brings back memories of lawlessness, extortion, and communal strife prior to 2017.

'The Samajwadi Party's politics has never been about social justice; it has always revolved around one family and selective appeasement. Today, they hide behind acronyms because they know the people of Uttar Pradesh have not forgotten the darkness, lawlessness, and administrative breakdown that defined their tenure,' said Chaudhary.

Pankaj Chaudhary said the Samajwadi Party leadership is deliberately avoiding its own party name and hiding behind the PDA slogan. He argued that the very mention of the Samajwadi Party reminds people of Uttar Pradesh before 2017, a period he described as marked by mafia raj, hooliganism, frequent riots and complete lawlessness.

'Akhilesh Yadav and his leaders are afraid of even taking the name of the Samajwadi Party because doing so reminds people of Uttar Pradesh before 2017, an era marked by mafia raj, hooliganism, frequent riots, and complete lawlessness,' he said.

According to Chaudhary, that was a time when families feared for their daughters stepping out in the evening, extortion was rampant, and shops and houses were forcibly occupied. He claimed people of the state have not forgotten those days, which is why SP leaders keep redefining PDA, changing the meaning of P, D and A from time to time.

Chaudhary alleged that in reality, SP's PDA has nothing to do with Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak, but is limited to promoting a single family and practising appeasement politics. He called the entire PDA pitch a rebranding exercise to cover up dynastic ambitions and past governance failures.

'At that time, families worried if daughters stepped out in the evening; extortion was rampant, and shops and houses were seized. The people of UP have not forgotten those days. That is why they keep redefining PDA, sometimes changing the 'P', sometimes the 'D', and sometimes the 'A'. In reality, their PDA was limited to a single family and appeasement,' added the Union Minister.

Addressing claims regarding youth disillusionment with the ruling dispensation, Chaudhary emphasised that younger voters have grown up seeing Uttar Pradesh's law-and-order transformation under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

'The youth who are 18 or 20 today were just children before 2017 and did not experience firsthand how fragile the law and order and basic infrastructure were. We are actively communicating with them on the ground, and the youth recognise the transparent governance, modern infrastructure, and economic growth delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath.'

Reflecting on the 2024 Lok Sabha results, where the SP emerged as the single-largest party in Uttar Pradesh by securing 37 seats, Chaudhary acknowledged that opposition narratives created temporary confusion, but noted that comprehensive booth-level corrections are underway.

'In 2024, the opposition misled the public by fabricating narratives around the Constitution and making populist promises like Rs 1 lakh guarantees that proved hollow. We have thoroughly reviewed the ground realities. BJP is a cadre-based party, and we have undertaken micro-level booth committee restructuring across all 1.66 lakh-plus booths in the state.'

Dismissing potential alliances between the SP and the Congress, he added, 'We have seen the alliance of 'two boys' earlier as well. Congress has been out of power in Uttar Pradesh for nearly four decades and remains reliant on crutches rather than becoming self-reliant. No matter how many opportunistic fronts are stitched together, the people of Uttar Pradesh will vote on performance, development, and security.'

Chaudhary's remarks come in the backdrop of a massive new poster displayed outside the Samajwadi Party headquarters in Lucknow depicting Akhilesh Yadav aboard a boat. The poster directly targets the state's complex electoral arithmetic ahead of the 2027 polls by seeking an expanded coalition of upper-caste Brahmins, riverine communities (Kevats/Nishads), and the traditional PDA base.

The slogan read, ' , , ' (Brahmins will show the way, Kevats will ferry us across, and together we will form a 'PDA' government.)

The imagery draws from the Ramayana, referencing the episode where Kevat, the boatman, safely ferries Lord Rama and Lakshmana across the Ganga.

By showing Akhilesh Yadav guided by Brahmin leaders and Kevat boatmen, the SP is seeking to broaden the 'P' in PDA to mean 'Pandit' or 'Peedit Pandit' (aggrieved Brahmins) while simultaneously reaching out to non-Yadav OBC riverine voters (Kevats, Mallahs, and Nishads) along the Ganga belt, demographics that have historically backed the BJP. (ANI)