Daijiworld Media Network - Lucknow
Lucknow, Nov 9: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken a sharp dig at Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav over his much-publicised PDA (Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak) political formula, alleging that the opposition party was more interested in promoting its own family than empowering backward classes, Dalits and minorities.
Addressing a media conclave on Sunday, Yogi mocked the PDA slogan, saying that instead of standing for Backward Classes, Dalits and Minorities, it actually meant "Paraya Dhan Apna" and "Parivar Development Authority".
Targeting Akhilesh, the chief minister accused the Samajwadi Party of using the language of social justice to secure political support while concentrating power and benefits within one family. He alleged that the party relied on caste-based calculations and dynastic politics rather than development and good governance.
"These people talk about PDA, but their politics has always revolved around one family," Yogi said.
Contrasting his government's approach with that of previous Samajwadi Party administrations, Yogi claimed that Uttar Pradesh had witnessed a significant improvement in law and order under the BJP government. He maintained that the BJP's development model focused on delivering welfare benefits without discrimination on the basis of caste, religion or region.
He also highlighted welfare initiatives introduced by the Narendra Modi-led central government, including free ration distribution, housing assistance, health insurance and direct benefit transfers, claiming that people belonging to all sections of society had benefited from these schemes.
Yogi argued that inclusive development and welfare delivery were more effective in improving people's lives than caste-based electoral mobilisation.
The latest remarks are part of the BJP's continuing political offensive against the PDA slogan, which has emerged as the central theme of Akhilesh Yadav's strategy ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
What is the PDA formula?
PDA stands for Pichhda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak, meaning Backward Classes, Dalits and Minorities. Akhilesh Yadav coined and popularised the slogan ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as part of an effort to expand the Samajwadi Party's traditional support base.
The SP, which was historically associated with the support of Yadavs and Muslims, sought to bring a wider section of non-Yadav Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Dalits and minority communities under a common political platform.
Akhilesh projected PDA as a social justice alliance representing communities that, according to him, constituted a substantial majority of the country's population but continued to remain underrepresented in positions of political and administrative power.
The campaign was closely associated with demands for a nationwide caste census, better representation for backward and marginalised communities, protection of reservation benefits and a more equitable distribution of opportunities.
Political observers viewed the PDA strategy as the Samajwadi Party's attempt to counter the BJP's expanding electoral support among non-Yadav OBCs and non-Jatav Dalits in Uttar Pradesh.
Over the past decade, the BJP had successfully broadened its social support base in the state, challenging the traditional Yadav-Muslim combination that had historically helped the Samajwadi Party in elections.
In response, Akhilesh sought to build a wider social coalition by bringing backward classes, Dalits and minorities together under the PDA umbrella. The slogan consequently became the organising principle of the party's campaign on issues such as representation, reservation, employment and social justice.
The strategy also influenced candidate selection during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with the Samajwadi Party fielding candidates from different backward, Dalit and minority communities.
The electoral outcome gave considerable momentum to the PDA campaign. The Samajwadi Party emerged as the largest party in Uttar Pradesh, winning 37 of the state's 80 Lok Sabha seats, while the Congress secured six.
Together, the SP-Congress alliance won 43 seats, while the BJP was reduced to 33 seats, a significant decline from its 62-seat tally in the 2019 general elections.
The BJP's performance and the SP's impressive gains made the PDA strategy a significant factor in Uttar Pradesh's political landscape, with both parties continuing to target each other's social and electoral strategies ahead of the next Assembly elections.