The assembly elections in five states have concluded, and now all political parties are gearing up for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections next year. Following Congress's defeat in the three major states of the Hindi belt, various discussions have begun regarding the opposition alliance 'INDIA'.
In Uttar Pradesh, which sends the highest number of MPs to the Lok Sabha, the state's largest opposition party, the Samajwadi Party, led by National President Akhilesh Yadav, is openly talking about the importance of opposition unity. He believes that without opposition unity, defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be difficult.
In an interview with a private TV channel, Akhilesh Yadav responded to questions related to the 'INDIA' alliance, saying, "The Samajwadi Party wants the BJP to lose. But no discussion has taken place yet regarding seat allocation within the INDIA alliance. How many seats each party will get has not been discussed yet. Right now, our and all opposition parties' sole objective is to defeat the BJP and counter the false communal agenda propagated by the BJP."
Akhilesh Yadav also stated that the INDIA alliance will be formed and that they will eventually agree on seat sharing.
During his interview, Akhilesh Yadav also spoke openly about a new political slogan he introduced in addition to the 'INDIA' alliance. He mentioned the 'PDA' – an alliance of the backward classes, Dalits, and minorities – as a strategy to defeat the BJP. He said, "Defeat BJP in 80 seats in UP, remove BJP. PDA will win, PDA will defeat NDA. Inclusivity is possible only when you talk about equality. Social justice and social movements are connected with PDA, which is why the socialists have said that caste-based census will lead to social justice."
In the interview, Akhilesh Yadav also discussed the recent issue that emerged nationwide following the caste census report in Bihar.
When asked how the opposition parties plan to defeat the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in UP under the BJP's Yogi government, he strongly criticized the Yogi government and discussed the opposition parties' strategy for the upcoming elections.
He said, "I remember distributing 20 lakh laptops. Even today, people tell me stories of how those laptops helped them. Now, it seems to us that governments are not formed with technology. Talk about bulls, cows, dung, then governments are formed. Therefore, we are moving in another direction, focusing on a caste-based census. Only then will social justice be strengthened and the development of the marginalized and oppressed sections take place."
Akhilesh Yadav also commented on the BJP's victories in three states. He said that if Congress had shown more generosity in the assembly elections of Madhya Pradesh and other states, the results could have been different.
Akhilesh Yadav further stated, "Whenever the Samajwadi Party has formed alliances, it has worked to bring many parties together and give them respect. We hope that just as the socialists have previously formed alliances, this time too we will work to bring parties together."
During the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, there were reports of a rift between the Samajwadi Party and Congress over seat allocation, leading to heated exchanges between leaders of both parties.
Now, through his statements, Akhilesh Yadav has made it clear that all parties in the opposition alliance 'INDIA' need to end personal differences and respect each other to defeat the BJP in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He also emphasized defeating the BJP through his new political equation 'PDA' and social justice.
Akhilesh Yadav said, "The social movement is connected with PDA. If there is a caste-based census, then there will be social justice. This social justice is going to bring a significant change in the country's politics in the coming time."
