Lucknow, Aug 22 (PTI) BSP supremo Mayawati on Saturday said that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav must apologise to the entire Jat community for his "derogatory" remarks against the RLD and its president Jayant Chaudhary, grandson of former prime minister late Charan Singh. In a post on X, Mayawati said Yadav's public remark about his former ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and its leader and Union minister Jayant Chaudhary that "we turned them from 'chavanni' (quarter) into a rupee" was "completely improper, indecent and highly shameful".She said 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 Chaudhary Charan Singh.Prominent peasant leader Charan Singh served as the prime minister from July 1979 to January 1980. His son and Jayant's father, late Ajit Singh, was a former Union ministerMayawati also alleged that the SP 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, Mayawati claimed 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 at the state guest house here amid tensions following the collapse of the SP-BSP alliance, with 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, claiming that that too ended because of Akhilesh Yadav's arrogant and self-serving attitude after the union failed to achieve expected electoral results.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 the 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".

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.Late on Friday night, Jayant Chaudhary, without naming Akhilesh Yadav, hit back at the SP chief's remarks. "In the battle of politics, if you had to use some cheap words, you could have taken my name," Chaudhary said in a post on X.Chaudhary also said he had seen such "arrogance" from close quarters and believed that such conduct only led to a person's downfall.The exchange has revived the political significance of the "chavanni" remark ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections. Yadav recently said that the SP had turned "chavanni" into a rupee, referring to the political value he claimed his party gave to its former allies.The remark was a reference to a comment Chaudhary made while campaigning for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh elections, when he rejected the BJP's overtures for being an SP ally, saying he was not a "chavanni" who could be easily flipped. Chaudhary later joined the BJP-led NDA and is currently a Union minister.

Wading into the exchange of words triggered by Yadav's remark, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya claimed the SP chief's comment reflected his frustration and alleged that he had begun targeting leaders across caste groups through his statements. In a post on X, Maurya said Yadav should immediately apologise to Chaudhary for his remarks, saying the family of Bharat Ratna Charan Singh had done much for the "Saifai family".Maurya also claimed that the "Triveni" of upper castes, backward classes and Dalits was with the BJP and that the people of Uttar Pradesh would reject the SP in next year's Assembly elections for its caste-based politics and "appeasement" of Muslims. PTI CDN  ARI 08221318Agencies