While Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of the Opposition by virtue of being the single largest party in opposition one cannot discount the role played by Samajwadi Party Chief, Akhilesh Yadav. Not only is the Samajwadi Party the third largest party in Parliament today after the BJP & the Congress (with 37 MPs), the genial Akhilesh is also proving to be the glue that is cementing the anti-BJP parties together. Take for example the fact that he was the only leader from the INDIA bloc who was invited to attend the Martyr’s Day Rally in Kolkata last week organised by the West Bengal CM and TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee. Speaking at the rally, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee claimed that it was the SP & the TMC who were the two principal architects of the BJP’s defeat. Noticeably he did not mention the Congress and neither was any Congress leader present at the rally.
Later, when the non NDA regional parties staged a protest against the BJP in the capital, Akhilesh Yadav was present at Jantar Mantar in response to a special invite by Jagan Mohan Reddy, the former CM of Andhra Pradesh. Again, the Congress did not make the guest list.
But if there is one leader who is standing by Rahul’s side within Parliament it is Akhilesh Yadav. The two UP ke Ladke are leading a united fight against the Modi led government, whether it is on the budget, farmers’ rights, NEET exam or Agniveer. While Rahul’s speeches have a pithy punch, Akhilesh’s knock-out blows are delivered with a rhetorical finesse and his trademark smile.
More importantly however is the strategic impact Akhilesh has had on the INDIA bloc and the role he played in halting the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. Had the Samajwadi Party not got 37 seats in the Hindi heartland, the BJP would have crossed the 272 mark and notched a much more face-saving number. The fact that Ayodhya was one of the seats that the SP won only added the icing to the cake. While the Congress is now talking about a caste census and politics of mandal, it was the Samajwadi Party that is the torch bearer of this thought.
It is a thought that the perceptive Samajwadi Chief has reinvented with the times when he came up with the PDA alliance. This is an umbrella coalition of Pichde (backwards), Dalits & Alpsankhyak (minorities). He went on to distribute tickets accordingly, giving only 5 tickets to the Yadavs, a caste that earlier took a large chunk of the ticket distribution. An amused Delhi media pulled his leg and reminded him that PDA stood for Public Display of Affection. And if the results are anything to go by, Uttar Pradesh ki Junta has responded to the SP Chief with a very public display of affection giving him the largest number of seats won by the party since its inception. But whenever the Congress talks about caste, it lacks the credibility of the Samajwadi Party. When Rahul brandished a picture of Finance Ministry officials partaking in the traditional halwa ceremony on Budget Day and asked – How many Dalits & OBCs do you see in this picture, the BJP was quick to dig up a picture of former finance minister & Congress leader P Chidambaram participating in a similar ceremony on Budget day and asked – how many Dalits and OBCs do you see in this photograph? Unlike Rahul, the Samajwadi Party leader has walked his talk.
But, just when the BJP thought it had figured out Akhilesh’s gameplan, he appointed a Brahimin – the veteran Mata Prasad Pandey as the Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly. The message that he is sending out is a much more inclusive one than the PM’s slogan of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas. Incidentally he has also recently appointed Lal Behari Yadav as the leader of Opposition in the legislative council.
Again, when Rahul balked at contesting from Uttar Pradesh, it was Akhilesh who pushed him to do so, pointing out that the Samajwadi Party had a large chunk of MLAs in the constituency. With the SP’s support, the Congress won both Amethi and Rae Bareli.
While Akhilesh Yadav’s goal may be the 2027 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, for as he says we have learnt how to defeat the BJP, there are no state limits for a man with a gameplan. Rahul Gandhi is certainly the face of Opposition, but Akhilesh Yadav is its heart & soul.
