Only unity of PDA will save Constitution and reservation: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said only the unity of PDA (Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak or backwards, Dalits and minorities) can save the Constitution and the reservation.
Wishing people on the birth anniversary of Dr. BR Ambedkar, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also targeted the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), alleging that they don’t believe in Ambedkar, Constitution, or democracy.
“Today we are celebrating the birth anniversary of Baba Saheb, we should remember that the Constitution laid by him gave us our rights and respect. We pledge that social justice should be established in the society. Today also we see that powerful people are still committing atrocities on the weak. The Baba Saheb’s Constitution has given respect and our right to the PDA and we pledge that PDA will fight to save the Constitution,” Yadav said after garlanding the BR Ambedkar statue at Hazratganj in Lucknow.
Earlier in a post on X, he said, “Hearty congratulations and best wishes to all on the auspicious occasion of Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s birth anniversary! Let us strengthen our sense of ‘self-respect’ and unite to establish the ‘reign of social justice’ and give new strength to the PDA’s movement to save Babasaheb’s gift and heritage ‘Constitution and Reservation’ and reiterate that ‘Constitution is the life-giver’ and ‘Constitution is the shield’ and that as long as the Constitution remains safe, our honour, respect, self-respect and rights will remain safe. Under ‘self-respect’, we have understood the value of our ‘unity of self’ along with our cordial, socialist, secular, democratic standards and values and also the transformative power of this unity in the form of PDA. Only through ‘Swabhimaan-Swaman’ (self-respect) will the people of PDA society be able to gain their decisive power and get free from oppression, tyranny and suffering, and get the right to live with self-respect and give a constitutional answer to the oppressive, oppressive, dominant, dominant, power-hungry negative forces.”
“Only the unity of PDA will save the Constitution and reservation, only the solidarity of PDA will create a golden future. Let us turn this struggle of our ‘Swabhimaan-Swaman’ into a celebration,” he added.
Speaking in Lucknow on the issue of Karni Sena members brandishing swords in Agra, Yadav said, “This ‘Sena’ is of BJP, they go scot-free at the behest of administration and the government. Whatever visuals you have seen, people with swords and sticks, the kind of language they are using, they are openly threatening to kill and no one is doing anything. Whose responsibility it is to deal with such people who are openly giving life threats? Imagine how much hatred they have pumped into people that they are taking swords in their hands and openly giving life threats.”
“The BJP’s conspiracy to shoot people is quite old, we are standing near the BR Ambedkar statue today and nearby there is a statue of Mahatama Gandhi. Everyone knows how he was shot dead. The BJP people are the ones who like violence; however, we are the ones who follow the path shown by Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar and take forward this nation. Today we pledge that the dream of Baba Saheb for PDA people, we will ensure that his dream is realised,” he said.
“They (BJP) are the people who don’t believe in Babam Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar, they are the ones who do not believe in Constitution laid down by Baba Saheb, these people don’t believe in democracy. These are the ones who have always committed atrocities and insulted the downtrodden and the poor people. They have been disrespecting Baba Saheb from time to time just to give a message to the society that if they become powerful, they will insult the weak,” he added.
Dalit Outreach by SP
The SP had announced week-long celebrations under the banner of ‘Swabhiman Swaman Samaroh’ where birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar will be celebrated with much fanfare across the SP offices in UP and other states from April 8 to 14. The celebrations are being organised under the aegis of Samajwadi Baba Saheb Ambedkar Vahini and Samajwadi Scheduled Caste Front.
On Saturday, Yadav unveiled a grand statue of Ambedkar in Etawah in presence of senior SP leaders and also addressed a gathering on the occasion. The statue which is in bronze colour showcases Ambedkar in a sitting posture on a chair, similar to those statues which were earlier seen in the BSP office in Lucknow.
The SP’s outreach to PDA had helped the party win 37 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Now, the party is looking to further its connect with Dalits, backward communities and minorities through various outreach programmes.
