Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 18: In a bid to further widen the reported rift in the Yogi Adityanath cabinet in Uttar Pradesh, the rival Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday gave a cryptic offer of his party’s support to form a government to anyone who can break the ruling BJP with at least 100 MLAs.
“Monsoon offer: Sau lau, sarkar bano,” Akhilesh Yadav posted on X. (“Monsoon offer: bring 100, form the government.”)
Though the post was unnamed, the SP insiders said the offer was to the deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya whose recent remarks had created a buzz about increasing rift in the party against the chief minister. The social media post of Yadav was being seen as an offer to the detractors of Yogi Adiyanath to defect and form a new government.
This is not the first time Akhilesh Yadav has made such an offer.
In December 2022, the Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh offered Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak to “bring 100 MLAs and become CM of the state.”
“There are 2 Deputy CMs in the state. Both of them are looking for an opportunity to become a CM. We have come to give them an offer, bring 100 MLAs here, we are with you, and become CM whenever you want,” he had said at a rally in Rampur.
Reports of rumblings in the UP BJP has emerged after the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections that left the party in a limbo and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi without a parliamentary majority dependent on his allies. Mr Maurya, an Other Backward Classes (OBC) leader and a known detractor of Yogi Adityanath, set off speculation first with his speech on Sunday and then a post on X on Wednesday hours after his meeting in Delhi with party president JP Nadda.
“The organisation is bigger than the government, the pain of the workers is my pain. No one is bigger than the organisation, the workers are the pride,” his office posted on X on Wednesday in what appeared to be a jab at Yogi Adityanath.
The BJP dismissed any speculation of infighting and sought to project a united face in possibly the most politically crucial state.
However, leaders aware of developments said the factionalism was not only limited to the state unit but also involved senior central leaders who were unhappy with the showing of the party in the state in the Lok Sabha polls.
The short post appeared to be a re-plug of Mr Yadav’s past “offer” to Mr Maurya. In an interview earlier, Mr Yadav had called Mr Maurya a “very weak man.” “He had dreamt of becoming Chief Minister, he should get 100 MLAs. He had once claimed that he has the support of over a 100 MLAs. He should get them, Samajwadi Party will support him (for Chief Minister),” he had said, adding that the former UP BJP chief was with the party despite being humiliated.
Mr Yadav’s post on Thursday was being seen as another veiled swipe at Mr Maurya. A senior Samajwadi Party leader said Mr Yadav’s ‘monsoon offer’ post on X was a message to those in BJP who wanted to switch over. “The SP won 111 seats in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and if we get the support of 100 dissatisfied BJP MLAs, then we will easily form the government,” the Samajwadi Party leader explained.
The BJP’s poor showing in Uttar Pradesh has intensified friction with the organisation and set off a buzz over a tussle between Yogi Adityanath and Keshav Prasad Maurya. Supporters of the two leaders are blaming each other for the poll debacle. The BJP’s central leadership is watching too. It has asked state leaders to resolve differences and concentrate on the upcoming bypolls for 10 Assembly seats. Party sources have also rejected reports of a possible change in state leadership. “There will be no change in leadership until then. They have asked us to fix things and advised against complaints at this time,” a source said.
Mr Yadav was taking potshots at the ruling party. In a swipe at the BJP yesterday, Mr Yadav had said the people of Uttar Pradesh were fed up with the “game of thrones.” This drew a sharp response from Mr Maurya, who stressed that the BJP has strong governments and organisation at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh and the Samajwadi Party has no chance of a comeback.
The Samajwadi Party and the Congress, meanwhile, are learnt to have decided to continue the alliance the two parties forged during the Lok Sabha elections under the INDIA bloc and contest the bypolls for the 10 UP Assembly seats together. The party sources said while the SP would contest seven seats, the Congress 10 seats in the bypolls. The two parties together had given a very impressive show in the Lok Sabha elections halting the BJP’s juggernaut.
The relations between the two other INDIA bloc members may not remain as cordial with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announcing its decision on Thursday to go alone in the coming Haryana Assembly elections. The AAP leader and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said on Thursday that his party would contest all the 90 seats in Haryana when the elections are held later this year.
Mr Mann said during AAP leaders’ visits to different parts of Haryana like Rohtak, Sonepat and Jind, people said they wanted “badlav” (change) in the State. Haryana has given chances to the Congress, the BJP and regional parties but all of them looted the State, he alleged. Mr Mann said the AAP would contest the Assembly polls strongly and “Badlenge Haryana Ka Haal, Ab Layenge Kejriwal” will be its slogan.
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