Ghaziabad: Deputy CM Maurya calls SP’s PDA as ‘Pariwar development agency’

Ghaziabad: Uttar Pradesh (UP) deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Saturday attacked the Samajwadi Party (SP) and its narrative of PDA (Pichda, Dalit and Alpsankhyak), by terming it as “Pariwar development agency” -- an agenda for the development of family members, mafias, and goondas.

Maurya was addressing a public rally held at Ghanta Ghar Ramlila Ground, Ghaziabad, on the occasion of Maharishi Kahyap Jayanti, where he said he wished public blessing for the upcoming 2027 UP assembly polls.

“In 2027, we are sure to get a third majority government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with your blessings. There are three opposition parties in UP, and the SP is nowadays feeling very enthusiastic. Do any of you want the SP to return to power? They are pretending and playing on the narrative of PDA. But it is actually a ‘Pariwar development agency’. Its formula is to develop their family and give them tickets, and also allow full freedom to goondas,” Maurya said during the speech.

Talking to media, Maurya elaborated on his PDA attack, as he said that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was heading the “Pariwar development agency” and his family members were its “directors”, and the goondas, mafias and criminals were this PDA’s “shareholders”.

Notably, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the PDA narrative coined by the SP and its ally, the Congress, paid rich dividends to the Opposition in Uttar Pradesh.

Then, the BJP had hoped to win majority of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP but won just 33. However, the Indian National Developmental Inclusvie Alliance (INDIA) bloc partners SP and the Congress won 37 and six seats respectively. It was a major setback for the BJP, which had secured 62 seats in the UP in 2019.

The next UP assembly elections are due in 2027.

Maurya also said that UP was highly crime-prone during the SP’s rule in the state.

He said that the state of Uttar Pradesh was “danga Pradesh (a riots state),” “apradhik Pradesh (crime prone state),” and “mafia Pradesh (mafia dominated state)” during the time when SP chief Akhilesh Yadav was the CM.

“When they were in power, everyone knew that the criminals were operating the districts while the mafia was operating the thanas (police stations). I urge you to make SP the ‘Samaptwadi Party’ (party nearing its end), and Akhilesh will continue to chair the party till it becomes the ‘Samaptvadi Party’. They are not concerned with society, but with the development of their family and also of criminals,” he added.

The SP office bearers, meanwhile, termed Maurya’s jibe has come due to the BJP’s helplessness and fear of PDA which they have recognised after the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

“The BJP has already tasted defeat in the state during 2024 polls, as it was sidelining the issues of PDA. But the SP raised the issues and secured huge support from people in UP. Again, the BJP is fearful of PDA ahead of the 2027 assembly election. Against the PDA, they are working on ways to instil a mindset among the majority by showing them fear of a minority. This is their way of politics, and people are now coming out of it and focusing on issues like unemployment, price rises, etc,” said Faizal Hussain, district president, SP.

The BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh recently held a joint coordination meeting in Ghaziabad, to boost their ties ahead of the polls.