Is Five Greater Than Seven? Akhilesh Yadav Attacks BJP Over ‘PDA Insult’ in UP Leadership Decision

Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav has launched a sharp political attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of deliberately insulting the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) community through its recent organisational appointments in Uttar Pradesh.

The controversy erupted after the BJP appointed Union Minister Pankaj Chaudhary, a seven-time Member of Parliament from Maharajganj (UP), as the new UP BJP President, while a day later naming Nitin Nabin, a five-time MLA from Patna’s Bankipur constituency (Bihar), as the party’s National Working President.

Taking to social media platform X, Akhilesh Yadav posed a series of pointed questions:
“Which is bigger—five or seven? An MLA or an MP? A state or the Centre? A state minister or a Union minister? Then how does BJP make a five-time MLA its national president and confine a seven-time MP to a state-level post?”

‘A Message of Suppression to PDA Society’

Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the BJP’s decision was not based on merit or logic, but on a “deep-rooted dominance mindset.” He claimed the move was aimed at sending a message that even if a leader from the PDA community is capable and experienced, there is a ceiling to how far they will be allowed to rise within the BJP’s power structure.

“This decision reflects BJP’s new method of humiliating the PDA society. The party wants to prove that PDA leaders, no matter how competent, cannot go beyond a certain limit in front of the dominant forces,” Akhilesh stated.

He further asserted that the PDA community would no longer tolerate such “systematic disrespect” and vowed that the people would respond by forming a PDA-led government that ensures dignity, representation, and justice.

BJP’s Strategic Calculus

Political observers note that Pankaj Chaudhary’s appointment was widely seen as BJP’s attempt to counter the Samajwadi Party’s growing PDA politics in Uttar Pradesh. Chaudhary, a prominent leader from the Kurmi community, is considered influential in eastern UP. He is also a well-known entrepreneur, being associated with the renowned edible oil brand Rahat Rooh.

In 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally visited Chaudhary’s residence and met his mother, Ujjwala Chaudhary, a former District Panchayat President—an event that highlighted the family’s political and social stature.

Despite this, Akhilesh Yadav’s attack has added a fresh political edge to the debate, turning BJP’s organisational decision into a larger narrative on social justice, representation, and PDA identity politics ahead of crucial electoral battles.

—Curated for print publication