NOIDA: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Noida International Airport in Jewar, former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav chose the city to launch Samajwadi Party’s 2027 assembly poll campaign — with a welfare-heavy pitch aimed at financial assistance for women, farmers, youth and backward communities.At the party’s ‘Samajwadi Samanta Bhaichara’ rally at Mihir Bhoj College ground in Dadri, the SP national president unveiled the ‘Stree Samman Samriddhi Yojna’, promising a financial support of Rs 40,000 for women if voted to form office. He then coupled it with assurances on land compensation, jobs and social justice.The rally was politically loaded not just for its timing, but for its message too. Yadav framed SP’s campaign around the party’s PDA plank — ‘Pichda, Dalit, Alpasankhyak’ — saying only a “PDA govt” would restore dignity to communities that had long been ignored.“Our Constitution is the real protector of PDA, and it must be defended,” he said.Referring to BJP’s “400 paar” slogan in the last Lok Sabha election, Yadav alleged that the party wanted a bigger mandate to alter the Constitution, but “people taught them a lesson”.“BJP aimed at winning 400 seats in the last parliamentary elections to change the Constitution, but people taught them a lesson. However, we must realise that the Constitution continues to remain in danger till BJP is in office,” he said.Yadav also described the ruling party as “dararvaadi” (divisive) and “nakaratmak giroh” (gang of negative), which must be ousted from power for the “betterment of 95% of the populace, who continue to be oppressed at the hands of 5% of the ruling class”.The former CM used the Noida stage to target BJP over the airport event a day earlier. He claimed the inauguration of the “incomplete” airport had been advanced because BJP was worried about the turnout at the SP rally. “They still failed, despite arranging a sponsored crowd,” he added.For farmers, Yadav promised compensation at market rates for any land acquisition by an SP govt in the future. He said BJP had failed to pay the 64% additional compensation due to farmers and had not offered market-linked rates either. “We will give the 64% additional compensation to farmers and 4% developed plots as well,” he said.For students and job-seekers, he promised skill-based courses in colleges to make them employment-ready. Yadav also accused the current govt of freezing recruitment to avoid giving reservation benefits guaranteed under the Constitution, and linked repeated paper leaks to deliberate attempts to derail hiring.He criticised the Agniveer military recruitment scheme as well, saying technology may shape modern warfare, but holding territory still requires manpower. “We will scrap the Agniveer scheme so that young people get proper opportunities in the Army,” he said.On caste discrimination, Yadav said only those who have faced humiliation understand its pain. Referring to instances of “temple purification” after Dalits enter them, he said such practices reflected deep social prejudice. “We are not here to erase anyone, but they must understand that times have changed,” he said, adding that public anger could translate into political change.The SP chief also promised statues of prominent Dalit leaders on Lucknow’s riverfront, saying the memorials would honour their sacrifice and give the community “a visible symbol of pride”.
