Enemies of the ‘Ambedkar Constitution’ have to be routed in the polls: Akhilesh

Launching his election campaign for the 2027 Assembly polls from Western Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said on Sunday (March 29, 2026) that peedha (suffering) is the thread that connects the PDA (an acronym for backwards, Dalits, and minorities) while those in power could not feel it.

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of being a compulsive liar that functions like a giroh (gang) that employs “divisive and discriminatory politics”, he reiterated that after the Lok Sabha polls, those who wanted to change the Ambedkar Constitution had gone underground but needed to be routed completely at the hustings.

In 2024, the SP and Congress alliance had pushed the BJP to second place in the electorally decisive State, and on Sunday (March 29, 2026), Mr. Yadav struck the same tune that helped him stop the BJP juggernaut in the Lok Sabha polls. Underlining the theme of the rally, samanta (equality) and bhaichara (fraternity), Mr. Yadav reminded the gathering that Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) had named the party with socialism in mind, one of the core components of the Preamble.

Era of ‘social justice’

Mr. Yadav said it was time to bring back the “era of social justice”. “PDA is a means to bring political and mental change. It is a progressive, forward-looking movement, as the deprived and poor don’t have a caste or religion. We are humiliated on the streets and face jibes in offices. We have faced the agony of temples being washed after we visit. We will bring back the era of social justice. Doesn’t matter if it takes a year or a century.”

Poking holes in the development plank of the Yogi Adityanath government, Mr. Yadav said the government had signed MOUs worth ₹50 lakh crores, but there was nothing to see on the ground. Alleging that the government was complicit in paper leaks, Mr. Yadav said: “The BJP doesn’t want to provide government jobs to the youth because then they would have to give the PDA their share of jobs, as per the reservation guaranteed by the Constitution.”

The massive rally was organised in Dadri town of Gautam Buddha Nagar, hardly 50 kms from the Jewar International Airport, where PM Narendra Modi addressed a public meeting on Saturday. Mr. Yadav charged the ruling dispensation of mismanaging the State’s airports.

No takers for airports

“I want to tell those who inaugurated the airport on Saturday (March 28, 2026) that six out of seven airports that they inaugurated are no longer in regular operation. They should have promised that the new airport would not be sold to a private player,” he said. Mr. Yadav promised that if voted to power, the SP would buy land from farmers for the forthcoming phases of the international airport at market rates.

Party sources said the leadership had been preparing for the rally in the Gurjar belt for 8 months. Mr. Yadav garlanded a statue of Pratihara Emperor Mihir Bhoj, whom the Gurjars claim as their own, while the Rajputs stake claim to his legacy. In the past, it has created a rift between the two communities with a section of Gurjar leaders accusing Mr. Adityanath, who leads the BJP government in UP, of aligning with the Rajputs.

In West UP, Gurjars play an important role in deciding the fate of at least 24 seats, where their numbers range from 20,000 to 70,000. In 2022, SP fought the assembly polls in alliance with the Rashtriya Lok Dal. With Chaudhary Jayant Singh (RLD) now leading Jat farmers towards the National Democratic Alliance, Mr. Yadav is looking to forge a Muslim-Gurjar bond in West UP.