The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday lashed out at Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav for allegedly mocking Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) founder Kanshi Ram and “insulting” the Dalit community. BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya took to the social media platform X and shared a video of Akhilesh Yadav, accusing him of disparaging Kanshi Ram to elevate SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav’s legacy.

“Akhilesh Yadav first insulted the Kshatriya community by supporting the statement of an SP MP who called Rana Sanga a traitor. Now he is mocking the Dalit community’s guide, Kanshi Ram, only to make him look smaller than Mulayam Singh,” Malviya wrote. “Now it seems that you have started smelling foul smell from every section of Hindu society. There is no cure for this disease called ‘secularism,'” he added.

Kanshi Ram, who founded the BSP in 1984, dedicated his life to the upliftment of Dalits and marginalised communities. His political journey was marked by challenges in the early years before gaining wider recognition. The controversy arose after Akhilesh Yadav, while speaking at a recent event, said, “While this is history, it is also true that if anyone had got the founder of Bahujan Samaj Party to the Lok Sabha, then it was the voters of this place who had helped him get to the Lok Sabha. He was unable to win from anywhere.”

“It is recorded in history that at that time, if anyone had helped the founder of the party, Kanshi Ram, to win, then it was Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and the socialist people who had helped him get to the Lok Sabha,” he added.

Kanshi Ram was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1991 from Etawah under the SP-BSP alliance, which strategically benefited from the Samajwadi Party not fielding a candidate in Jaswantnagar. The alliance marked a major turning point in Uttar Pradesh politics, uniting backward castes and Dalits against the rising tide of the BJP.

However, the alliance collapsed after the infamous 1995 guest house incident, where SP workers allegedly attacked Mayawati. Despite the fallout, Kanshi Ram’s Lok Sabha win in 1991 cemented his political legacy and established BSP as a national political force.

–IANS

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post First Insulted Kshatriya Community, Now Mocking Dalit Icon Kanshi Ram: BJP Slams Akhilesh Yadav appeared first on The Commune.

On 6 February 2025, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party MP Akhilesh Yadav joined the DMK student wing’s protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi against the UGC draft rules. DMK MP Kanimozhi, RJD’s Manoj Jha, CPI(M)’s John Brittas, VCK’s Thol Thirumavalavan, and MDMK leader Vaiko were among the opposition leaders who took part in the protest.

Addressing the gathering in Hindi before switching to English on and off, SP MP and I.N.D.I. bloc ally Akhilesh Yadav strongly criticized the central government, declaring his firm opposition to the National Education Policy (NEP).

It is noteworthy that the DMK is against Hindi imposition especially when it comes to the central government.

He alleged that the New Education Policy (NEP) was a conspiracy to hand over universities to industrialists. He said, “I think that the new education policy that has come is somewhere a conspiracy to give universities to industrialists and to appoint vice-chancellors of big universities so that the power can go in their hands.”

He claimed that the NEP is designed to make state governments subservient. He said, “For this, new education policies are being brought and appointments are also being made and they are working to make the state governments slaves.”

He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of enabling corporate control over politics. He said, “If we take the support of industrialists and stand with them, then one day these industrialists will make the government and politics servants. Atal Bihari ji had said that if you keep supporting illiterate people, one day you will become the servant of industrialists.”

Yadav implied that the NEP is part of a broader agenda to weaken state governance, he said, “They want to take over the power of state government politics and politicians are servants of industry.”

Emphasising his strong protest against NEP, he said, “We can never agree and can never support new education policy. I am against the NEP, I am against the Bharatiya Janata Party.”

Yadav claimed that north Indian students also are opposing NEP. He said, “This message goes to the students of India, even the North Indian students will support you at this moment.”

VIDEO | Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) joins DMK students wing protest in Delhi against UGC's draft regulations.

“… They want to take over all the power of state governments. They want to make politicians servants of industrialists. We can never support… pic.twitter.com/o5eQ8wRbi0

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 6, 2025

The protest followed the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s passage of a resolution on 9 January 2025, urging the Centre to withdraw the regulations immediately. The resolution received support from all parties except the BJP, including NDA ally Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and the state’s main opposition, AIADMK.

The UGC’s new draft guidelines propose that candidates can qualify for faculty positions in higher education institutions by passing the UGC-NET in a subject of their choice, even if their undergraduate and postgraduate degrees are in different disciplines. Additionally, the guidelines broaden the eligibility criteria for vice-chancellors, allowing professionals from academia, research institutions, public policy, public administration, and industry to be considered for the role.

(With inputs from Times of India)

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post DMK Ally SP MP Akhilesh Yadav Address Gathering In Hindi At DMK Student Wing Protest Against UGC Draft Rules appeared first on The Commune.

Union Minister Lalan Singh said on Saturday that Late Mulayam Singh Yadav’s soul must be in pain due to the stand of his son and Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav. Earlier, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav urged Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to withdraw his support from the PM Modi-led government.

Lalan Singh emphasised that Mulayam Singh Yadav had built his reputation by fighting against the Congress party during the Emergency which contributed to his rise as a powerful leader. “In contrast, Akhilesh Yadav is aligning himself with the very Congress party his father once opposed suggesting that this shift would definitely be deeply painful for the legacy of Mulayam Singh. The soul of Mulayam Singh Yadav must be in pain,” he said.

He added that Akhilesh’s political alignment undermines the values and principles his father stood for, particularly regarding their historical opposition to the Congress party. Meanwhile, Lalan Singh also addressed the tragic train accident in Tamil Nadu, calling it ‘unfortunate’. “Such unfortunate occurrences happen in the country. In the past, several incidents happened where people deliberately placed objects on tracks to derail trains. The Railway Ministry is conducting an investigation and the truth behind the accident will be revealed soon,” Singh said.

The Mysuru-Darbhanga Bagmati Express collided with a goods train at the Kavarippettai railway station in the Chennai railway division on Friday.

–IANS

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally. 

The post Mulayam Singh’s Soul Must Be In Pain Due To Akhilesh’s Support For Cong: JD-U appeared first on The Commune.

The recent Parliamentary election results threw up several surprises – the most interesting one was how UP voted. Out of the 80 seats in UP, the BJP did win 33 seats but the surprise came in the form of 37 seats to the Samajwadi Party (SP). And what was even more baffling was that Faizabad (Ayodhya) voted for SP rather than the BJP.

Here are some of the reasons for the electoral setback for BJP:

A viral video from around the time of the Pran Prathishta ceremony of Ram Mandir is being reshared on social media and it points out the situation of the small traders and businesses in Ayodhya. In the video, a barber (Sonu Sharma) breaks down saying that despite being involved in the Ram Mandir construction through kar seva, they are facing harassment and displacement due to the ongoing development by the temple authorities. Specifically, Sharma says he (as other small traders) is being asked to pay ₹15 lakhs to rebuild their demolished shops, followed by a monthly rent of ₹5,000 with a 25% increase every 3 years. As Sonu laments, “They are asking for ₹15 lakhs. The temple people are asking. For the temple…whoever doesn’t have ₹15 lakhs, they will have to stay like this only.”

Sharma, despite having an EWS and disability certificate has not received any of the welfare schemes announced by the government – be it a house through PM AWAS Yojana or anything else. Sharma says, “We have the certificate but no facilities. No housing either.”

Pandit Sonu Sharma who works as a Barber cries in front of us while explaining his hardships in Ayodhya. His story has gone viral on social media. You can watch his full interview covered by our team. Tap on the link to see the whole video: https://t.co/xheJNmsCpn pic.twitter.com/KSesqGtLRs

— Shubham Sharma (@Shubham_fd) January 29, 2024

Some of the other reasons that are being put forth include:

Sitting MP and Ayodhya/Faizabad BJP candidate Lallu Singh made a controversial remark during the poll campaign about needing a two-thirds majority to alter the Constitution, which raised fears about the erosion of reservation benefits for marginalized communities.

आज अंबेडकर जयंती है।
परसों मोदी जी ने कहा था कि स्वयं अंबेडकर जी भी आ जाएँ तो भी संविधान नहीं बदल सकते।

अब अयोध्या से भाजपा के वर्तमान सांसद लल्लू सिंह खुलेआम कह रहे हैं संविधान बदलना है इसलिए 400 सीटें जीतनी होंगी।

मोदी जी इन्हें दिल से माफ़ कर पाएँगे? pic.twitter.com/y6UdLj3uNf

— Pawan Khera (@Pawankhera) April 14, 2024

Resentment among local residents and small business owners due to the demolition or displacement of over 4,000 shops for road-widening work related to the Ram temple, with inadequate compensation and rehabilitation measures.

Mismanagement and inconveniences caused by the hurried inauguration of the Ram temple, such as restricted vehicular movement and the need to walk long distances to access public transportation.

Failure to deliver anticipated economic benefits from the influx of pilgrims, with only larger businesses and outsiders profiting, while local small business owners struggled.

Perceived insensitivity towards local sentiments and sacrifices made for the temple movement, with the BJP leadership lauding Iqbal Ansari (a Muslim litigant in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute) while ignoring those who actively participated in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

Anger among the BJP cadre over the conferral of the Padma Vibhushan on Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had ordered firing on kar sevaks in 1990.

BJP gave Padma Vibhushan to Mulayam Singh Yadav who opened fire on kar sevaks and forgot Veer Savarkar and Bala Saheb Thackeray: Sanjay Raut pic.twitter.com/5xtpahJ1Xk

— Megh Updates (@MeghUpdates) January 29, 2023

The BJP’s unexpected electoral defeat in Ayodhya can be attributed to several factors as listed above but especially, their failure to address the pressing concerns of the local populace. While the construction of the long-awaited Ram temple evoked a profound sense of pride and fulfillment, ironically, for many residents of Ayodhya, it does not have the same meaning given that their livelihood is affected. It makes it all the more significant to have a ear to the ground, to have a hand on the pulse of the people to understand their emotions and needs and address them correctly.

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Why Ayodhya Turned Its Back On BJP: Local Factors Behind BJP’s Electoral Setback appeared first on The Commune.

History has been made in Uttar Pradesh with the BJP’s phenomenal victory. Though the party has won 255 seats (57 down from its 2017 tally), there has been a rise in its vote share which has gone up from 39.67% to 41.3%.

While some said that no party in the state has ever managed to get a consecutive second term, others including the Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav himself peddled superstition that a sitting CM who visits Noida won’t be able to come back to power.

And who can forget all the rhetoric about corpses floating in Ganga during the second wave of the pandemic!

Breaking all the jinxes and busting all the rhetorics, CM Yogi has managed to come back to power in a resounding victory.

A lot has been said and written about Yogi Adityanath. He has been demonized as a ‘militant monk’ and eulogized as a ‘bulldozer baba’.

But what is it that has catapulted him to rule the massive of state of Uttar Pradesh once again?

Well, the answer is simple.

People trust CM Yogi.

And why do they trust him?

There are many reasons.

Law & Order

One of the main reasons for which people have rewarded the Yogi government has been bringing the law & order situation of the state under control.

Whenever Samajwadi Party had been in power, blood flowed on the streets of Uttar Pradesh. Goons with guns roamed around the streets in broad-day light. Uttar Pradesh was dreaded as a lawless state where criminals thrived and ruled. Rapes, murders, kidnapping, and gang wars, were an everyday affair.

In short, Uttar Pradesh had become synonymous with Gunda Raj during the rule of the father-son duo.

But the arrival of Yogi Raj saw ruthless crackdown on criminals. Those who roamed with streets blazing guns, surrendered voluntarily to the police fearing encounter. Rape cases have fallen by 10% since 2013 and the number of murders have gone down by 25%. Not a single communal riot broke out in the last five years, unlike the earlier period when Uttar Pradesh saw its worst ever communal riot in its history during the Muzaffarnagar Riots in 2013 that left 62 dead and thousands displaced. Even if sporadic events did take during the anti-CAA and anti-farm laws protests, the rioters were dealt appropriately.

This ironhand approach of dealing with criminals has earned goodwill among people especially women.

Connectivity

For long, roads, electricity, access to healthcare and education remained out of bounds for people living in remote parts of the state.

Ever since CM Yogi came to power, Uttar Pradesh has seen massive development on all fronts especially on infrastructure.

The hitherto neglected regions like Bundelkhand is undergoing a massive transformation under the leadership of CM Yogi and PM Modi.

Back in 2017, when CM Yogi took over the reigns, Uttar Pradesh had just 2 functional expressways – the Yamuna Expressway connecting Agra with Delhi and the Lucknow-Agra Expressway. These two expressways took 10 years to complete, from 2007 to 2017.

Though the Purvanchal Expressway was conceived during the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Govt, it was there just on paper. It was only in the latter half of 2018 that actual work began on the expressway and it was completed in a record time of just 3 years!

This happened because of a radical paradigm shift in work culture that was brought to the UP administration by CM Yogi Adityanath.

Today, the Purvanchal Expressway, Ganga Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, Gorakhpur Link Expressway are spanning across the length and breadth of the state and is opening up new economic horizons bringing development to the unreached parts. The establishment of the defence corridor has all the more given a boost for the industrial development of the state.

It is not just roads but the Yogi government also given a massive boost for air connectivity. From 1947 to 2017, there were just 2 airports in the state with full fledged commercial operations.  But in just a span of five years, eight airports were made functional in the state with construction of the country’s largest airport in Noida underway.

Delivery

Another crucial factor that has played a big role is the double-engine government of Modi-Yogi and its ability to provide last mile delivery of welfare schemes.

1.95 crore toilets have been built under Swachh Bharat. 29 lakh houses have been constructed under PM Awas Yojana. 26.6 lakh tap water connections have been provided under Har Ghar Jal since the start of the scheme in 2019. More than 1.4 crore LPG connections have been provided under Ujjwala Yojana.

All this without the poor having to grease the hands of middlemen, thanks to the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) initiative.

For the first time, the people of UP have seen government schemes actually reach them.

Cultural Revivalism

Last but not the least. By being unapologetically Hindu and wearing his identity on the sleeve, CM Yogi has stirred up the Hindu-ness that was for long buried deep under people’s hearts and minds.  The buliding of Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor and the steadfast construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya has resulted in enhancing CM Yogi’s image along with that of PM Modi’s.

It is primarily because of these factors that people of Uttar Pradesh have reposed their faith in the Yogi Govt.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post What Made Yogi Adityanath ‘Bulldoze’ His Way To Power In Uttar Pradesh appeared first on The Commune.

As the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh heads for its final phase of assembly election on 7 March, a video has emerged wherein Abbas Ansari who is the son of jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari is telling his supporters that once their party wins the election, we will “settle the account”.

Incidentally, Mukhtar Ansari is the nephew of the former Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari who recently in an interview had said that Muslims are not safe in India. As of now, Abbas Ansari has been booked for the violation of the election code and criminal intimidation after the video of settling accounts which only means taking vendetta on government officials surfaced on social media.

Ironically Abbas Ansari is contesting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls from Mau on the ticket of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party  (SBSP) named after the great Indian king Suheldev who defeated and killed the Ghaznavid general Ghazi Miyan at Bahraich in 1034 CE.

The SBSP has a poll alliance with the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party and in that video, Abbas Ansari is seen telling his supporters that once the election are over, he has spoken to Yadav and told him he must ensure no official is transferred or posting takes place in next six months after the party comes to power in the state.

“Jo yahan hai wo yahan hi rahega, pehle hisaab-kitab hoga uske baad unke jaane ke certificate par mohar lagaya jaega (Those who are here, will remain here. First account will be settled with them and only after that their departure papers will be stamped,” Ansari is heard seen saying in the video.

Abbas Ansari s/o don Mukhtar Ansari contesting on SP alliance says “I have told Akhilesh Yadav- no transfer posting for 6 months- jo yaha hai woh yah rahega – pehle hisab kitab hoga”

Open threat being given

In Varanasi rally SP workers beat up cops

True face of SP alliance pic.twitter.com/cVsS5Wh4mh

— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) March 4, 2022

The exact location of this speech and the date when Abbas Ansari promised to settle scores are not clear.

Mau Superintendent of Police Ghule Sushil Chandrabhan said an FIR has now been registered under IPC Sections 171 G (false statement in connection with an election) and 506 (criminal intimidation) at the Sadar Kotwali over the video.

“Besides, a report of the incident has been sent to the returning officer of the Assembly constituency for further action,” the officer added.

Reacting to Abbas Ansari’s speech of settelling scores with officials who he thinks have wronged him and his community, the Mau candidate for the BJP tweeted, “The ‘sahabzade’ of the mafia has told ‘babua’ (Akhilesh Yadav) that no officer should be transferred before six months. Transfer will be done only after the account has been settled.”

“What account is he dreaming of settling? It appears that he is not able to understand which way the wind is blowing #SP_means_hooliganism,” the party said.

Mau goes to the polls in the seventh and last phase of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on March 7 and Mukhtar Ansari had been representing the seat since 1996 but he is now in jail facing trial in a number of criminal cases. 

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post “Will settle the account once in power in UP”: Son of jailed gangster & grand nephew of former VP Hamid Ansari appeared first on The Commune.

The Samajwadi Party in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have shamelessly pandered to the largest minority in the state when it announced its third list for the Uttar Pradesh elections, containing 56 names and in its official list, official list, the party used the district names Allahabad and Faizabad, instead of Prayagraj and Ayodhya.

After the BJP came to power in the state, it changed the names of several places and removed the names given by the Mughals.

In October 2018, the UP government had announced that Allahabad will be renamed Prayagraj, after the Mughals changed the name during the reign of Akbar.

In November 2018, the Yogi Adityanath government renamed Faizabad district in UP to Ayodhya just before the historic Supreme Court verdict on the Ayodhya title suit.

However, the Samajwadi Party under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav has not come to terms with changing of names of Allahabad and Faizabad to Prayagraj and Ayodhya.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Samajwadi Party calls Prayagraj and Ayodhya by their old names appeared first on The Commune.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has alleged that RSS workers from other states are coming to Uttar Pradesh “for creating trouble at election booths” and to hinder the electoral process as India’s most populous state heads for the state election in 2022.

The former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh claimed that the BJP-led government in Uttar Pradesh has made fairness and transparency of the Election Commission “questionable”. However, according to Yadav, “In the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the BJP will surely be wiped out with the support of the people.”

Akhilesh Yadav who took the rains of the party started by his father Mulayam Singh Yadav said in a statement in Lucknow: “The BJP is busy creating conspiracies at the (election) booths. The party does not respect the Constitution. It is conspiring to cheat democracy by adopting unfair practices during elections. RSS workers from other States are being sent to villages to create trouble at booth level.”

He also claimed that the Samajwadi Party enjoys massive support in Uttar Pradesh and the “BJP is afraid and wants to destroy the sanctity of the democratic system” in the state and said the BJP government has created anarchy in the state and “has committed a great sin by hindering the development of the state.”

He also said that the leaders and workers of the Opposition are being constantly harassed by the state government and earlier Yadav had earlier criticised the Yogi Adityanath-led government in the state during the local body polls.

Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post RSS workers from other states have entered UP to hinder electoral process, laments Akhilesh Yadav appeared first on The Commune.

In 2022 the most populas state in India, Uttar Pradesh will hold its State Legislative polls and the Samajwadi Party (SP) has taken fancy to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) election slogan of ‘Khela Hobe‘ wherein Mamata Banerjee led party mobilized its party workers to unleash violence hitherto unknown during and after the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha elections.

The slogan Khela Hobe can be called a war cry for vengence that the TMC adopted in West Bengal. In Uttar Pradesh the SP has adopted its Bhojpuri version as “2022 mein khela hoi,”.

Reportedly, the slogan was written by ex-MLA and Samajwadi party leader Abdul Samad Ansari who has now put the slogan on the walls of his entire building and has asked Samajwadi party leader Akhilesh Yadav to adapt the same line used by TMC workers in West Bengal.

Ansari alleged, “The way Didi and people of Bengal have played with the BJP, similarly Bhojpuri society will play with the ruling party.”

The term ‘Khela hobe’ (we will have a match) has now become the raison d’etre TMC workers Mamata Banerjee party workers  retaliate against the central armed forces and BJP workers where several people have been brutally murdered and women raped and molested. 

The post Samajwadi Party takes que from TMC, coins war cry for UP elections as “2022 mein khela hoi” appeared first on The Commune.

A new museum in Agra that was called the ‘Mughal Museum’ will henceforth be known after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, after a decision made by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday (September 14).

Regarding the change of name, CM Adityanath categorically said, “How can our heroes be Mughals?”. He also said that the name Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will invoke nationalism and self-esteem.

आगरा में निर्माणाधीन म्यूजियम को छत्रपति शिवाजी महाराज के नाम से जाना जाएगा।

आपके नए उत्तर प्रदेश में गुलामी की मानसिकता के प्रतीक चिन्हों का कोई स्थान नहीं।

हम सबके नायक शिवाजी महाराज हैं।

जय हिन्द, जय भारत।

— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) September 14, 2020

During the review meeting, Adityanath reiterated that his government has always nurtured the nationalist ideology and the time has come to do away with subservient mentality.

It was Samajwadi Party leader and former CM of UP Akhilesh Yadav who had laid the foundation stone of the museum in 2016. The museum is located in an area of about six acres of land near the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal.

The idea was to let tens and thousands of tourists who visit each year to see the Taj Mahal to expose them to the Mughal era’s weapons, culture and dresses among other such articles.

While it is not clear if the name change would have an impact on the nature of the museum, government sources were quoted saying in The New Indian Express that it is likely to have an impact on the nature of the project too. 

The CM also took stock of projects worth over ₹10 crore in Agra division, comprising Agra, Firozabad, Mainpuri and Mathura districts. 

The post ‘How can Mughals be our heroes?’: UP CM Yogi Adityanath renames Mughal Museum at Agra after Chhatrapati Shivaji appeared first on The Commune.