Akhilesh's 'PDA' pitch a year before polls leads to face-off with Mayawati as former invokes BSP founder Kanshiram

Lucknow: The next assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh may still be a year away but efforts by the major political players in the state to expand their support base by making dent into the rival’s vote bank have already started.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav’s attempt to bring the electorally influential Dalit community to his fold by invoking BSP founder Kanshiram as part of his PDA (pichda, dalit, alpsankhyak) outreach has resulted in a fierce political face-off with BSP supremo Mayawati.

It all began with SP’s decision to celebrate Kanshiram birth anniversary on March 15 by holding meetings of the dalit community at all district headquarters.

Akhilesh also directed his senior party leaders to attend the meetings and explain to the Dalit community the warm and friendly relations between Kanshiram and SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.

SP and BSP had formed a coalition government in UP in 1993 to prevent the BJP from assuming power in the state which was led by Mulayam. The coalition however did not last long and the government collapsed in 1995 following the infamous ‘guest house incident’ when SP supporters allegedly attacked Mayawati, who was staying there, after BSP withdrew its support to the government.

Mayawati lashed out against Akhilesh saying that it was the same Mulayam who had encouraged his supporters to storm the guest house after she announced withdrawal of support to him.

‘’The dalits will never forget the guest house incident and all attempts to attract them to his (Akhilesh) party will not succeed,’’ Mayawati said.

‘’Dalits are not Mayawati’s property….she has not done anything for them during her tenure as chief minister,’’ said an SP leader here.