Rashtriya Lok Dal chief and Union Minister of State Jayant Chaudhary delivered a sharp response to Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday.
Speaking to the media in Delhi, he said, “The flippant way Akhilesh Yadav speaks is not right. Before the NDA, I had an alliance with Akhilesh Yadav.
There are many things that are not disclosed. If I reveal all of them, Akhilesh Yadav will have nowhere to stand in Uttar Pradesh.”
SP leader Fakhrul Hasan Chand hit back at Jayant’s statement. He said:
“In western Uttar Pradesh, there is a party with a presence in one and a half districts, whose leaders are ungrateful. They enter the Rajya Sabha on the strength of SP MLAs and join the BJP alliance as soon as they reach the Rajya Sabha. They enjoy the perks of power. They used to say, ‘Am I some chavanni [25-paise coin] who will switch sides?’ It turns out they were a chavanni-they switched sides.”
In fact, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had sarcastically claimed last month that the Rashtriya Lok Dal would get 73 seats in the NDA.
Without naming RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, Akhilesh had said, “I turned a four-anna coin into a rupee, but even he ran away.” Since then, leaders of both parties have been attacking each other.
Now read Jayant’s full account in 10 questions and answers…
Your wife has responded to Akhilesh for the first time. Will she contest the election too?
Jayant Chaudhary: Charu ji’s speech outdid me too. She made a precise point. She said a great deal in a short time. That reflects her emotions. There was no beating about the bush; she put forward what was in her heart.
You should ask her whether she wants to contest the election. If she does, she will have to apply to our parliamentary board.
Jayant Chaudhary’s wife Charu had responded to Akhilesh over his “chavanni” remark at a rally in Saharanpur.
How many seats is the RLD planning to contest this time?
Jayant Chaudhary: Uttar Pradesh has 403 seats. Along with Uttar Pradesh, we will also contest in Uttarakhand. But on all 403 seats in Uttar Pradesh, the NDA is fighting jointly. All constituent parties have the same aim: the path of development must not be obstructed.
Election symbols and party names keep changing. During the time of Chaudhary Charan Singh and Chaudhary Ajit Singh, too, there were different symbols and names. Regardless of whose party name or symbol it is, we must fight our battle with strength.
You are not speaking clearly about your seats, but Akhilesh Yadav is?
Jayant Chaudhary: I am speaking about the NDA’s seats with full authority. Tell me, is that statement more important, or is Akhilesh’s statement?
Akhilesh Yadav has already made your seats clear on social media?
Jayant Chaudhary: When we were in an alliance with him, not everything was made public. This is my seriousness, which is why I am not revealing those things. If I reveal them, he will not find anywhere to stand in Uttar Pradesh.
He is saying today, with such casualness, that they should get so many seats for there to be any respect. Chaudhary Charan Singh’s respect will not be determined by the number of Assembly seats.
He is respected in everyone’s hearts and always will be-even if the Rashtriya Lok Dal does not win a single seat.
Jayant Chaudhary answered questions from the media in Delhi.
Akhilesh is very aggressive. He first made the “chavanni” remark, and then his leaders made the “haveli” remark?
Jayant Chaudhary: There should be issues in politics. The issue is not about a chavanni. The issues concern farmers, the education system, and development. Ask the people of Saharanpur how long it takes to reach Delhi on the highways being built today.
They get there in two to two and a half hours. And how long did it take earlier? It took no less than 6 hours. These people want progress and employment, and that is what we are working towards.
You spoke about Gen Z and said G stands for ganna. Is this, in a way, an attempt to bring Gen Alpha over to your side?
Jayant Chaudhary: I believe that young people do not think in the same way that I do or that our ancestors did. Nor should they; their world is entirely different. There is no benefit in entangling them in caste divisions. That is why we need to rise above caste.
There is not much time left before the Assembly elections. Has the Samajwadi Party begun its campaign from western Uttar Pradesh?
Jayant Chaudhary: No, where did it begin? He is not SP; he is PC. He is doing nothing except PC. He will not hold a public meeting. He will tweet there. He has not led any movement, nor has he come out onto the streets, but he is engaging in opposition politics.
Are Akhilesh’s rallies in western Uttar Pradesh being postponed because of the ‘chavanni’ remark?
Jayant Chaudhary: I do not know why they are being postponed. I know that the rallies are not taking place.
, People from the Gujjar Sabha had come to Jayant Chaudhary’s residence in Delhi. They honoured Jayant Chaudhary.
What will your party’s stand be on the UCC?
Jayant Chaudhary: Look, this is for the states to do. The Home Minister has made a statement on the issue. From the perspective of women’s rights, the common law is progressive.
In fact, Home Minister Amit Shah said in Mumbai on 13 September that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) would be implemented in all 21 BJP-NDA-ruled states before the 2029 Lok Sabha election. The UCC has already been implemented in several states. It will be implemented in the remaining states as well.
Will there be a decision on the UCC in Uttar Pradesh before 2027?
Jayant Chaudhary: No. That was the last question, and I have given the last answer.
SP leader Fakhrul Hasan Chand hits back at Jayant’s statement
SP leader Fakhrul Hasan Chand hit back at Jayant Chaudhary’s statement. He said, “It is a party of one and a half districts in western Uttar Pradesh, whose leaders are ungrateful. Today, they are talking about development when potato farmers are in distress.”
Paper leaks continued, young people were beaten in the streets, farmers remained troubled, and stray animals kept grazing on farmers’ crops, but Jayant Chaudhary remained silent. Why? Because he sees development only when farmers appear distressed.
Therefore, the leader of a party confined to one and a half districts should remember that the people are supreme and the people give their answer. Whenever the Samajwadi Party holds a rally in western Uttar Pradesh, it will be held with full force and will be historic.
SP leader Fakhrul Hasan Chand said that whenever the Samajwadi Party holds a rally in western Uttar Pradesh, it will be held with full force.
