BSP supremo Mayawati on Saturday (August 22, 2026) said that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav must apologise to the entire Jat community for his “derogatory” remarks against the RLD and its president and Union minister Jayant Chaudhary.

In a post on X, Ms. Mayawati said Mr. Yadav's public remark about his former ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and its leader Chaudhary that “we turned them from ‘chavani’ (quarter) into a rupee" was “completely improper, indecent and highly shameful”.

She said Mr. Yadav should apologise not only to the RLD and its leader but also to the entire Jat community for “insulting the family of former prime minister (late) Chaudhary Charan Singh”.

Jayant Chaudhary is the grandson of Charan Singh, who served as the Prime Minister from July 1979 to January 1980, and the son of former Union minister late Ajit Singh.

Ms. Mayawati also alleged that the Samajwadi Party has remained narrow-minded, marked by caste-based animosity, not only towards rival parties but also towards its allies.

She claimed its politics often benefited the BJP electorally and weakened the secular forces.

Referring to the 1993 SP-BSP alliance, Ms. Mayawati said it broke down because of the “arrogant” attitude of the SP, resulting in the 1995 Lucknow state guest house incident.

In June 1995, BSP leaders and workers were allegedly attacked by SP supporters amid tensions following the collapse of the SP-BSP alliance, with Ms. Mayawati alleging that there was a conspiracy to kill her.

She also recalled the 2019 alliance for the Lok Sabha elections between the SP and the BSP, saying it too ended because of Akhilesh Yadav's “arrogant and self-serving attitude” after the alliance failed to produce the expected electoral results.

Ms. Mayawati also accused the SP of using alliances only for its own political interests and changing its stance once its purpose was served.

Targeting the SP's PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) formula, she alleged that Yadav changed the meaning of ‘P’ according to his political interests, sometimes projecting it as the voice of backward classes and at times as representing the interests of Brahmins.

She alleged that the previous SP governments failed to take positive steps for Dalits, backward classes, minorities and upper-caste communities, particularly Brahmins, and instead benefited "goons, criminals, mafias and other anarchic elements".

Ms. Mayawati also urged people across communities to remain cautious of what she described as the SP's "narrow and casteist politics" and appealed to voters to ensure that the party does not return to power after next year’s Assembly elections.

Published - August 22, 2026 10:35 am IST