New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensified its criticism of the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Wednesday, strongly opposing the depiction of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav as being ‘equivalent’ to Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the principal architect of the Indian Constitution.
The BJP described this as a grave insult to Babasaheb and accused the SP of exploiting his legacy to gain support from the Dalit community.
The controversy arose after a party poster surfaced earlier in the day, featuring an overlapping image of Akhilesh Yadav and Babasaheb Ambedkar. Reports indicated that these posters were also displayed in several locations across Lucknow.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared the poster on his X handle and tore into the Akhilesh-led SP for distorting the face of Babasaheb and also accused it of offending the sentiments of the Dalit community.
“There can be no greater insult to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution and the symbol of the Dalit community, than to distort his face and impose Akhilesh Yadav's face on it,” he wrote on X.
Further criticising the SP chief, Amit Malviya stated that Akhilesh Yadav could never match Babasaheb Ambedkar's greatness or his contributions to the upliftment of marginalised communities, “no matter how many times he takes birth.”
Malviya also accused the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh of previously insulting the great warrior Rana Sanga and now Babasaheb Ambedkar, asserting that such actions are unacceptable to Hindu society.
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, during a press conference, condemned the SP for the controversial poster, which he claimed belittled and trivialised Babasaheb's legacy. Meghwal remarked, “A poster of the Samajwadi Party shows half the face of Babasaheb, and the remaining half is of Akhilesh Yadav. This is an insult to Babasaheb Ambedkar. They are trying to get the votes of Dalits by using such tactics.” He further added that Babasaheb opposed Parivar vaad (dynastic politics), while Akhilesh represents a political dynasty.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak also criticised the act, describing it as a “reflection of the party’s corrupt mentality”.
(inputs from IANS)