Jhansi: Dismissing its claims of being rooted in Sanatan traditions, deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party, alleging that it has become a “Namazwadi Party” driven by appeasement politics under the leadership of Akhilesh Yadav.Talking to mediapersons during his visit to Jhansi, Maurya said, “Those who were the original Samajwadis may have been Sanatani in the past. But under Akhilesh’s leadership, SP, in the true sense, is a Namazwadi Party, not a Samajwadi Party.”“It is a party of appeasement that protects criminals, the mafia, goons and the corrupt,” he added.Reacting to Akhilesh’s remark, “Parajay kaal viprit buddhi” (defeat leads to perverse intellect), Maurya said the verdict of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections would push the Samajwadi Party out of the state’s political landscape. “After the 2027 results, the Samajwadi Party will only be seen in Saifai,” he said.Asked about Akhilesh’s claim that the BJP would be defeated in 2027, Maurya said similar claims have been proved wrong since 2014. He asserted that while the BJP had continued to strengthen its electoral position, the SP and the Congress had steadily declined. He credited the BJP’s growth to what he described as its agenda of good governance, development, welfare of the poor and women’s empowerment, saying the party’s “lotus” was blooming across the country.About remarks by Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar alleging that Akhilesh charged Rs 5,000 merely to shake hands, Maurya declined to comment, saying he was unaware of the statement and that the question should be addressed to Rajbhar himself.On a separate political remark by Aditya Thackeray, who reportedly said that his party was “saving Lord Ram from the BJP” and described it as the “Babar Janata Party”, Maurya said, “He is still a child.”Responding to speculation that he could contest the next assembly election from Jhansi because of his frequent visits to the region, Maurya termed it “kalpanic” (hypothetical). He said candidates and constituencies were decided by the party’s central leadership and that he had no such intention. He added that his frequent visits to Jhansi were part of his regular tours across different parts of Uttar Pradesh.
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