BJP playing caste card through Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav to weaken Samajwadi Party's PDA outreach: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on March 4 alleged that the BJP is playing the caste card through Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to weaken the cause of the backwards, Dalits and minorities which the SP is fighting for.

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on March 4 alleged that the BJP is playing the caste card through Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav to weaken the cause of the backwards, Dalits and minorities which the SP is fighting for.

Mohan Yadav, who was invited to address a Yadav Mahakumbh, in Lucknow, on March 3, had attacked Akhilesh Yadav.

Using the chess terminology, the SP president said, "The BJP and its think tank are very intelligent. They know when they have to make a particular move, when they have to make the two-and-a-half move (of knights) and when they have to move the pawns. "But, we have a number of 'wazirs'," Akhilesh Yadav told reporters.

Akhilesh Yadav alleged that as its old tricks, the BJP is trying to weaken the SP's efforts to increase its PDA (Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) family.

"How can that fight be weakened? How can the attention be diverted? And, how can it be restricted? They (the BJP) are trying to find a way out," he said.

When a reporter asked a question about Mohan Yadav, who was in Lucknow on Sunday, the SP chief said, "'Woh pyare Mohan hain." The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said the BJP's own people, who were given Lok Sabha tickets, are searching for one excuse or the other to not fight the poll.

Though he did not refer to any names but saffron party candidate from Asansol Pawan Singh has declined to fight the polls. Some leaders including Shiv Kumar Beria left the BJP to return to the SP on Monday. Mr. Beria was an SP MLA from Raulabad in Kanpur Dehat in 2012 who had crossed over the BJP before the last Assembly polls.