New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) In a sharp political exchange, Uttar Pradesh Minister Danish Azad Ansari questioned the timing and intent behind Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav’s recent outreach to the Pasmanda Muslim community, accusing the party of opportunism ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

Ansari, who hails from the Pasmanda community, slammed Akhilesh Yadav’s sudden concern for Backward Muslims, asking why the SP had remained silent for so long on issues concerning the community.

“Why is the Samajwadi Party suddenly remembering the Pasmanda community now? Why are they now concerned about Backward Muslims?” the BJP leader asked.

“I want to ask one question, can anyone show even a single statement made by a Samajwadi Party leader in support of the Pasmanda community?” Ansari added.

Ansari also used the occasion to launch a broader attack on the Opposition alliance, targeting the INDIA bloc, of which the SP is a major member.

“The INDIA alliance has proven to be a failed experiment. It is like a sinking ship, and one by one, its passengers have started abandoning it. From day one, we had said that the INDIA bloc is a weak structure built solely on personal political interests, and its collapse was inevitable. As soon as the elections began, internal conflicts became evident,” he said.

The remarks come a day after Akhilesh Yadav addressed a press conference in Lucknow where he tried to consolidate support among marginalised Muslim communities, particularly the Pasmanda and weaver communities. He claimed that these groups were now part of the SP’s framework of PDA (Pichhde, Dalit, Alpasankhyak).

“No matter who the victim is, the Dalit, deprived, and the poor are part of the PDA. I am happy that the Pasmanda Muslim Samaj has joined the fold today,” Yadav said.

He added that the ‘P’ in the PDA also includes the ‘Pasmanda Samaj’, signalling the party’s intent to broaden its social coalition.

Yadav further announced that the SP will prioritise issues of the weaver community, predominantly Pasmanda, in its manifesto for the 2027 Assembly polls.

–IANS

rs/rad