August 8, 2026

NEW DELHI: Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday stepped up his attack on Congress, accusing the party of failing to acknowledge its “errors and shortcomings.”In a post on X, Rijiju contrasted the current Congress leadership with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, saying she had been “blunt” in admitting the actions she took during the Emergency.Sharing a video of Indira Gandhi, Rijiju wrote, “Although… we do not agree with the policies and the steps taken by the former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi ji, she was blunt in admitting the actions that she had taken.””Now, Congress party is not even realising their own errors & shortcomings,” he added.In the video, Indira Gandhi is seen defending the arrest of former deputy prime minister Morarji Desai and other Opposition leaders, alleging that they were “destroying democracy.”Rijiju’s remarks came hours after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi hit back at his challenge to the party to extend “unconditional support” to the Women’s Reservation Bill. Gandhi questioned the Centre’s decision to link implementation of the legislation with the delimitation exercise.Reiterating the Congress’ position, Rahul called for the implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, “without any conditions.””Mr Rijiju, who would know better than you, as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs – that the Women’s Reservation Bill 2023 has already been passed unanimously, with the full support of the Congress,” Rahul posted on X.The question is, why has it still not been implemented even after three years, and why do you now want to unnecessarily link it to delimitation? Implement the 2023 law. Without any conditions,” he added.Earlier in the day, Rijiju had challenged the Congress to support the Women’s Reservation Bill unconditionally after Gandhi called for greater freedom of expression for women.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe opposition has demanded that women’s reservation be delinked from the delimitation exercise.The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, was passed by both Houses of Parliament.However, its implementation has not moved forward after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill fell in the Lok Sabha on April 17, failing to secure the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of members present and voting.The Bill provided for 33 percent reservation for women in legislatures, along with provisions linked to delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosUS Senate Passes Russia Sanctions Bill, India Faces Potential 100% Tariff Over Russian Oil Purchases’Did We Fail To Listen’: Tharoor Admits CJP Protest Resonated More Than Congress ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’JPSC Protest Enters Day 14: Students Demand Exam Cancellation, CBI Probe After First Talks With GovtSonam Wangchuk Says Wife Sought Rahul Gandhi’s Help To End His 26-Day Hunger Strike At Jantar MantarOMCs Say E20 Petrol Meets Quality Standards After Nationwide Testing, Reject Contamination ClaimsNeha Bora Inked During Jharkhand Student Protest: AISA Alleges Political Attack, Accused DetainedJharkhand JPSC Protest: Hunger Striker Hospitalised After Four Days As Students Continue AgitationTamil Nadu CM Vijay’s Wife Sangeetha Withdraws Divorce Petition, Family Court Allows Withdrawal’Proof Of Corruption?’ JPSC Aspirant Makes Explosive Claims As Student Protests Intensify In RanchiExplained: Why PM Modi Asked NDA MPs To Avoid The ‘Lutyens’ Web’ And Stay Focused On Public Outreach123PhotostoriesWhy do lifts have mirrors? The surprising reason behind this everyday feature5 traditional oils to mix with curry leaves for thicker, stronger, and longer hairManisha Rani’s approximately Rs 6 crore luxurious Mumbai home: A fancy walk-in closet, vanity and moreWhy do we light diyas? 5 spiritual meanings behind this everyday ritualKriti Sanon’s bridal era just went futuristic in Gaurav Gupta couture11 foods that are considered lucky around the worldThe jobs that ask for “excellent communication skills” may be telling you something else: How to read between the lines of a job description6 surprising things that quietly create emotional intimacy in a relationshipDid you know that Manas is more than tigers? 8 elusive wild-cat species found hereFoods to eat and avoid during Sawan, according to Ayurveda123Hot PicksThailand School ShootingUPI TransactionsAsk Me AnythingJharkhand protestGurgaon rainNICL Assistant RecruitmentAnkur WarikooIndia Labour CodesGold rate todayTop TrendingJapanese Quote of the dayNagpur Rape CaseAbhijeet DipkeGujarat Mystery WellJPSC ProtestDelhi RainDelhi Wife MurderEknath ShindeTamil Nadu BudgetPraveen Nettaru Murder Case

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins
NEW DELHI: Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday stepped up his attack on Congress, accusing the party of failing to acknowledge its “errors and shortcomings.”In a post on X, Rijiju contrasted the current Congress leadership with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, saying she had been “blunt” in admitting the actions she took during the Emergency.Sharing a video of Indira Gandhi, Rijiju wrote, “Although… we do not agree with the policies and the steps taken by the former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi ji, she was blunt in admitting the actions that she had taken.””Now, Congress party is not even realising their own errors & shortcomings,” he added.In the video, Indira Gandhi is seen defending the arrest of former deputy prime minister Morarji Desai and other Opposition leaders, alleging that they were “destroying democracy.”Rijiju’s remarks came hours after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi hit back at his challenge to the party to extend “unconditional support” to the Women’s Reservation Bill. Gandhi questioned the Centre’s decision to link implementation of the legislation with the delimitation exercise.Reiterating the Congress’ position, Rahul called for the implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, “without any conditions.””Mr Rijiju, who would know better than you, as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs – that the Women’s Reservation Bill 2023 has already been passed unanimously, with the full support of the Congress,” Rahul posted on X.The question is, why has it still not been implemented even after three years, and why do you now want to unnecessarily link it to delimitation? Implement the 2023 law. Without any conditions,” he added.Earlier in the day, Rijiju had challenged the Congress to support the Women’s Reservation Bill unconditionally after Gandhi called for greater freedom of expression for women.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe opposition has demanded that women’s reservation be delinked from the delimitation exercise.The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, was passed by both Houses of Parliament.However, its implementation has not moved forward after the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill fell in the Lok Sabha on April 17, failing to secure the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of members present and voting.The Bill provided for 33 percent reservation for women in legislatures, along with provisions linked to delimitation of Lok Sabha constituencies.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorTOI News DeskThe TOI News Desk comprises a dedicated and tireless team of journalists who operate around the clock to deliver the most current and comprehensive news and updates to the readers of The Times of India worldwide. With an unwavering commitment to excellence in journalism, our team is at the forefront of gathering, verifying, and presenting breaking news, in-depth analysis, and insightful reports on a wide range of topics. The TOI News Desk is your trusted source for staying informed and connected to the ever-evolving global landscape, ensuring that our readers are equipped with the latest developments that matter most.”Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosUS Senate Passes Russia Sanctions Bill, India Faces Potential 100% Tariff Over Russian Oil Purchases’Did We Fail To Listen’: Tharoor Admits CJP Protest Resonated More Than Congress ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’JPSC Protest Enters Day 14: Students Demand Exam Cancellation, CBI Probe After First Talks With GovtSonam Wangchuk Says Wife Sought Rahul Gandhi’s Help To End His 26-Day Hunger Strike At Jantar MantarOMCs Say E20 Petrol Meets Quality Standards After Nationwide Testing, Reject Contamination ClaimsNeha Bora Inked During Jharkhand Student Protest: AISA Alleges Political Attack, Accused DetainedJharkhand JPSC Protest: Hunger Striker Hospitalised After Four Days As Students Continue AgitationTamil Nadu CM Vijay’s Wife Sangeetha Withdraws Divorce Petition, Family Court Allows Withdrawal’Proof Of Corruption?’ JPSC Aspirant Makes Explosive Claims As Student Protests Intensify In RanchiExplained: Why PM Modi Asked NDA MPs To Avoid The ‘Lutyens’ Web’ And Stay Focused On Public Outreach123PhotostoriesWhy do lifts have mirrors? The surprising reason behind this everyday feature5 traditional oils to mix with curry leaves for thicker, stronger, and longer hairManisha Rani’s approximately Rs 6 crore luxurious Mumbai home: A fancy walk-in closet, vanity and moreWhy do we light diyas? 5 spiritual meanings behind this everyday ritualKriti Sanon’s bridal era just went futuristic in Gaurav Gupta couture11 foods that are considered lucky around the worldThe jobs that ask for “excellent communication skills” may be telling you something else: How to read between the lines of a job description6 surprising things that quietly create emotional intimacy in a relationshipDid you know that Manas is more than tigers? 8 elusive wild-cat species found hereFoods to eat and avoid during Sawan, according to Ayurveda123Hot PicksThailand School ShootingUPI TransactionsAsk Me AnythingJharkhand protestGurgaon rainNICL Assistant RecruitmentAnkur WarikooIndia Labour CodesGold rate todayTop TrendingJapanese Quote of the dayNagpur Rape CaseAbhijeet DipkeGujarat Mystery WellJPSC ProtestDelhi RainDelhi Wife MurderEknath ShindeTamil Nadu BudgetPraveen Nettaru Murder Case


'Congress not realising own errors': Rijiju draws parallel with Indira Gandhi post Emergency

NEW DELHI: Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday stepped up his attack on Congress, accusing the party of failing to acknowledge its “errors and shortcomings.”In a post on X, Rijiju contrasted the current Congress leadership with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, saying she had been “blunt” in admitting the actions she took during the Emergency.Sharing a video of Indira Gandhi, Rijiju wrote, “Although… we do not agree with the policies and the steps taken by the former Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi ji, she was blunt in admitting the actions that she had taken.”“Now, Congress party is not even realising their own errors & shortcomings,” he added.In the video, Indira Gandhi is seen defending the arrest of former deputy prime minister Morarji Desai and other Opposition leaders, alleging that they were “destroying democracy.”Rijiju’s remarks came hours after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi hit back at his challenge to the party to extend “unconditional support” to the Women’s Reservation Bill. Gandhi questioned the Centre’s decision to link implementation of the legislation with the delimitation exercise.Reiterating the Congress’ position, Rahul called for the implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, “without any conditions.”“Mr Rijiju, who would know better than you, as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs – that the Women’s Reservation Bill 2023 has already been passed unanimously, with the full support of the Congress,” Rahul posted on X.The question is, why has it still not been implemented even after three years, and why do you now want to unnecessarily link it to delimitation? Implement the 2023 law. Without any conditions,” he added.Earlier in the day, Rijiju had challenged the Congress to support the Women’s Reservation Bill unconditionally after Gandhi called for greater freedom of expression for women.

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Chadha’s post on X after meeting NEW DELHI: AAP turncoat and now BJP leader Raghav Chadha on Saturday shared pictures of his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling it as a “detailed and enriching interaction”.His remarks came in an X post featuring his first pictures with PM Modi since he joined the BJP months ago after leading an exodus from the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party.The Rajya Sabha member shared two pictures with Modi and wrote: “A morning I will cherish. Had the privilege of meeting Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji.””A detailed and enriching interaction. Deeply grateful for his generous time and for the opportunity to benefit from his insights and guidance,” he added in the post.Days earlier, Chadha had also strongly backed PM Modi’s move to bring stricter laws against paper leaks and praised the Centre’s anti-paper leak Bill in the Rajya Sabha.Once Kejriwal’s “blue-eyed boy”, Chadha led a group of seven AAP Rajya Sabha members who merged with the BJP in April.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAbhishek MishraAbhishek Mishra is a Digital Content Producer at The Times of India, working with the news desk. He writes with a keen eye on foreign policy, defence developments, and the shifting currents of geopolitics-and yes, Indian politics always finds a way onto his radar too.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosUS Senate Passes Russia Sanctions Bill, India Faces Potential 100% Tariff Over Russian Oil Purchases’Did We Fail To Listen’: Tharoor Admits CJP Protest Resonated More Than Congress ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’JPSC Protest Enters Day 14: Students Demand Exam Cancellation, CBI Probe After First Talks With GovtSonam Wangchuk Says Wife Sought Rahul Gandhi’s Help To End His 26-Day Hunger Strike At Jantar MantarOMCs Say E20 Petrol Meets Quality Standards After Nationwide Testing, Reject Contamination ClaimsNeha Bora Inked During Jharkhand Student Protest: AISA Alleges Political Attack, Accused DetainedJharkhand JPSC Protest: Hunger Striker Hospitalised After Four Days As Students Continue AgitationTamil Nadu CM Vijay’s Wife Sangeetha Withdraws Divorce Petition, Family Court Allows Withdrawal’Proof Of Corruption?’ JPSC Aspirant Makes Explosive Claims As Student Protests Intensify In RanchiExplained: Why PM Modi Asked NDA MPs To Avoid The ‘Lutyens’ Web’ And Stay Focused On Public Outreach123Photostories5 traditional oils to mix with curry leaves for thicker, stronger, and longer hairManisha Rani’s approximately Rs 6 crore luxurious Mumbai home: A fancy walk-in closet, vanity and moreWhy do we light diyas? 5 spiritual meanings behind this everyday ritualKriti Sanon’s bridal era just went futuristic in Gaurav Gupta couture11 foods that are considered lucky around the worldThe jobs that ask for “excellent communication skills” may be telling you something else: How to read between the lines of a job description6 surprising things that quietly create emotional intimacy in a relationshipDid you know that Manas is more than tigers? 8 elusive wild-cat species found hereFoods to eat and avoid during Sawan, according to AyurvedaNot just a balcony, 5 spaces that you can easily use for gardening your green friends123Hot PicksThailand School ShootingUPI TransactionsAsk Me AnythingJharkhand protestGurgaon rainNICL Assistant RecruitmentAnkur WarikooIndia Labour CodesGold rate todayTop TrendingJapanese Quote of the dayNagpur Rape CaseAbhijeet DipkeGujarat Mystery WellJPSC ProtestDelhi RainDelhi Wife MurderEknath ShindeTamil Nadu BudgetPraveen Nettaru Murder Case

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Rahul Gandhi, left, with Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the Monsoon session of Parliament Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with Kalavati went viral in 2008, back when “viral” meant something very different. The widow of a farmer who died by suicide, she was raising nine children in Vidarbha when Rahul met her, and he later invoked her life in Parliament during the Indo-US nuclear deal debate.Eighteen years later, the Leader of Opposition stood beside Rhiya Ahir, the 27-year-old Mumbai woman who became a social-media sensation during the student protests after standing in front of a police van carrying detained protesters.Between those two moments, an entire generation grew up and largely walked away from the Grand Old Party in search of achhe din. Broadly speaking, Congress lost the millennials in large parts of the country, barring the South. Now, as anti-incumbency gradually catches up with the ruling regime, Congress is looking at a fresh crop of voters who could form a decisive electoral bloc by 2029.Rahul’s communication strategy over the past month has laid out the approach clearly. From an unparliamentary expression inside Parliament that was later expunged, to telling protesting students they did not need to apologise to the prime minister, to an Instagram outreach mixing serious student questions with playful jibes at “Amarinder Uncle”, the attempt to speak Gen Z’s language is unmistakable.Former Congress leader Sanjay Jha, speaking to TOI, said he believes Rahul’s natural lingo is more attuned to Gen Z than Modi’s. He says the prime minister’s recent Instagram outreach came across as condescending to sections of young users, while Rahul seems more natural. Jha is categorical, according to him, Rahul represents the future and Modi the past.Despite successive Assembly victories after its underwhelming 2024 Lok Sabha performance, the BJP suddenly appears to be on a slightly sticky wicket. The NEET agitation has claimed a high-profile political scalp, a rarity in this government. For Rahul, it is a no-brainer to cash in on that advantage.The generation that got awayThe generation that was in its 20s and early 30s during the 2014 election firmly reposed its faith in the BJP or, more specifically, in Narendra Modi. His appeal as an outsider breaking through Delhi’s entrenched power elite resonated with aspirational young voters. The pitch around development, technology, entrepreneurship and muscular nationalism continued to reap dividends election after election.An analysis of Lokniti-CSDS National Election Study data shows BJP support among voters aged 18-25 rising from 34% in 2014 to 41% in 2019. Congress remained stuck at 19%. The personal gap was even wider, with 51% of young respondents preferring Modi as prime minister in 2019, against 23% for Rahul.The BJP did more than defeat Congress among the young; it captured their imagination about what the future could look like. By 2024, however, a subsequent Lokniti-CSDS analysis found that no party had succeeded in carving out a distinct youth constituency. That churn is precisely what makes 2029 interesting.The beauty of democracy is that there is always a fresh test after five years. The next general election can be a very different proposition, or at least that is what Congress would hope.The 36-crore electionBy 2029, Gen Z will be far from a niche constituency.Using the common definition of Gen Z as those born between 1997 and 2012, its voting-age members in 2029 will be roughly 18 to 32 years old. An interpolation of the National Commission on Population’s 2026 and 2031 age-group projections suggests India could have around 36.4 crore people in the voting-age Gen Z cohort by then. These are projected people of voting age, not registered electors, and actual turnout will obviously be lower.The arithmetic is still striking. Uttar Pradesh could have around 6.65 crore Gen Z adults in 2029, Bihar 3.73 crore, Maharashtra 3.18 crore, West Bengal 2.40 crore, Madhya Pradesh 2.34 crore and Rajasthan 2.25 crore. Gujarat could have 1.86 crore, Tamil Nadu 1.67 crore, Karnataka 1.63 crore, Andhra Pradesh 1.22 crore, Odisha 1.15 crore and Telangana around 92 lakh.Supporters of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) celebrate after Dharmendra Pradhan resignedTogether, these 12 states could contain nearly 29 crore voting-age Gen Z Indians. On the current electoral map, they account for 420 Lok Sabha seats, though delimitation could change that arithmetic before 2029.Awkwardly for Congress, it remains organisationally weak in several states where the Gen Z pool will be largest. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar alone could contain more than 10 crore Gen Z adults. Instagram can reach these voters, but holding on to them requires organisation.Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy has taken the outreach a step further, proposing that the minimum age to contest Lok Sabha and Assembly elections be lowered from 25 to 21, and that for the Rajya Sabha and legislative councils from 30 to 25.But the question comes back at Congress. Even if the legal age is lowered, will it actually give tickets to 21-year-olds?The break Congress could not manufactureThe party has been trying, with limited success, to get into the youth mind space for years. Rahul’s campus visits, student conversations, attacks on unemployment and repeated interventions on paper leaks all predate the present protest cycle.The Bharat Jodo Yatra tried to remake Rahul as a leader who would walk and listen rather than merely speak. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra before the 2024 election sharpened that pitch. That eventually became the five-part Yuva Nyay offer. Yet it did not acquire a life beyond the election cycle. There was no large youth groundswell speaking the language of Yuva Nyay. Like many Congress programmes, it was launched, discussed and eventually sank without a trace.The Cockroach Janta Party began as a satirical, digital-first intervention with what old political parties lacked: irreverence, little legacy baggage and a vocabulary born on social media. It gave accumulated frustration a conduit. Online anger over examination leaks spilled onto the street and widened into a protest over education costs, employment and institutional accountability. For Congress, this was the break it had spent years trying to manufacture but failed to produce.Jha offers perhaps the sharpest explanation for why CJP succeeded where conventional opposition parties struggled. The Modi government, he argues, can use agencies and the coercive power of the state to pressure political adversaries. It can also resort to what he calls “convenient whataboutery” about 60 years of Congress rule. Students have fewer institutional or political stakes that can be turned against them, and familiar political labels do not work on them, according to Jha.The challenge in front of CongressThe opposition, he says, failed to galvanise frustration that has now “erupted like a volcano”. A party serious about youth politics, he asks, must also explain why the NSUI and Youth Congress were not present at Jantar Mantar in much larger numbers.Political expert Subhamoy Maitra sees the emergence of figures like Abhijeet Dipke as evidence of a wider leadership crisis in mainstream political parties. Ashutosh Chatterjee, general secretary of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress and a former student leader, rejects that charge. Leaders are not “propped up”, he argues; those who consistently echo public sentiment eventually get recognition. He cites Kanhaiya Kumar, Manish Sharma and Vinod Jakhar among Congress’s next generation and credits Rahul’s Chhatra Ki Goonj with helping catalyse the student movement. He is categorical that there is no dearth of talent in Congress.Rahul has meanwhile walked a tightrope with CJP, amplifying the issues, raising them in Parliament and meeting protesters while keeping a measured distance from Dipke and the core leadership. Congress wants to latch on to the momentum without getting directly associated with it, believes Maitra. Since the leaders of CJP are relatively unknown, he argues, it makes more sense for Rahul Gandhi to share a stage with the likes of AISA’s Neha Bora. With Sonam Wangchuk revealing that Rahul Gandhi even declined to break his fast, it is clear that the Congress leader is trying to keep the protesters at arm’s length.Political scientist and former Calcutta University registrar Dr Rajagopal Dhar Chakraborti believes the NEET agitation was unusual because it organically brought sections of Gen Z together around a wider sense of institutional failure and caught the government off guard. Students, he agrees with Jha, have little to lose and are harder to intimidate.But Dr Chakraborti doubts Congress can simply inherit the dividend. CJP, he suggests, could eventually test the electoral waters itself rather than hand its constituency to any established party. He echoes the sentiments of Prashant Kishore that Bankipur result too is an indication of the mood inside the Gen Z constituents.Jobs may be the bigger triggerThe World Bank estimates that around 11 million young Indians will enter the labour market every year over the next two decades. Increasingly, the crisis is about the quality of employment, not just its availability. The gig economy cannot be a panacea for an increasingly educated and aspirational society. For decades, the implicit social contract was simple: a higher-education degree would culminate in a well-paying job. That notion is now under stress.AI, automation and other macroeconomic pressures could sharpen the mismatch. If India produces ever larger cohorts of graduates but a disproportionate share of new work remains temporary, informal or low-productivity, education itself could become a source of discontent. Congress leader Chatterjee believes that the combination of unemployment, recurring paper leaks, shrinking space for public education and growing commercialisation of education will eventually push younger voters towards Congress. He says Congress can offer Gen Z “total transparency”.Can Congress states offer an alternative?States do not control the entire macroeconomy, but they still have a large role to play in shaping the future of Indians, especially in areas like education, which is on the Constitution’s Concurrent List. Jha believes Congress needs an alternative model of governance where performance can speak for itself. He earmarks states like Karnataka and Kerala that could effectively be projected as models of governance.But the inferno of student unrest has the potential to spill into opposition-ruled states, as Jharkhand is showing.Congress is a partner in the JMM-led government, where students and government-job aspirants have protested alleged irregularities involving JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations. Rahul Gandhi, to his credit, has addressed the issue head-on, describing the education system as having “collapsed” and become expensive and oppressive.More importantly, he refused to exempt governments involving his own party, saying every government, including the one in Jharkhand, should listen to students and act.From Rajiv’s computers to Rahul’s paper leaksCongress has travelled this road before.NSUI channelled students into party politics, and Youth Congress provided the next rung. Rahul himself has spent almost two decades trying to build a younger political layer, with limited gains. Across large parts of India, the party remains top-heavy.Dr Chakraborti turns almost wistful recalling how Rajiv enthused younger Indians before getting bogged down by a coterie of older Congress hands. Rajiv Gandhi once captured the young imagination far more successfully. In a pre-liberalisation India, computers and telecommunications became symbols of a future arriving early. His government also lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.The recent NEET debate in Parliament showed how Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi are operating. Rahul sought to legitimise student anger without claiming ownership of it. He told Parliament that Indians should be proud of the protesters, described students as people willing to question and keep their minds open, and called an expensive and commercialised education system an “extortion system”.Priyanka spoke about injured students, asked whether protesters were “terrorists”, and delivered a sharp line: if the prime minister wanted to win them back, he needed to change the “angle of his heart”, not the camera angle.Rahul Gandhi protesting in front of PM Modi’s residenceGen Z doesn’t owe its vote to anyonePolitical pundit Subhamoy Maitra offers the necessary caution.It is far from clear, he says, how protest politics translates into electoral democracy. Barring movements such as Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption agitation and the RG Kar protests, relatively few civil-society uprisings have produced durable electoral consequences in the last decade and a half. He also believes Rahul still needs to shed the perception of being a “part-time politician”. Chatterjee rejects that description, asking when a Leader of Opposition had previously had to shed blood while standing with protesters, as Rahul did during the NEET agitation.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesFor all the marketing jargon, Gen Z is not one homogeneous political community. Caste, religion, region, class and gender will not disappear merely because everyone uses Instagram. Students can welcome Rahul as an amplifier and still refuse to accept him as their leader. CJP has already shown that young Indians can organise outside both the ruling party and the established opposition. The party has already announced its next campaign ” Kya Bolti Public”. Dr Chakraborti believes that this may well be a precursor to CJP testing waters in next year’s Uttar Pradesh elections.Gen Z content creators often harp on one word, which is consistency. That, they say, is what eventually produces organic reach. Rahul Gandhi might want to borrow the lesson, believes Sanjay Jha. Between Kalavati and Rhiya Ahir, Rahul Gandhi has toiled hard, often without much to show for it. Maybe that is because the party is yet to fundamentally establish how a Congress-ruled India would be different. That targeted messaging and, more importantly, tangible execution will be crucial.Nearly 36 crore young Indians could be up for grabs in 2029. Sooner or later, they will ask what actually changed after they were heard.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorArghya Prasun RoychowdhuryInterested in politics, policy, data and cricket.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Did We Fail To Listen’: Tharoor Admits CJP Protest Resonated More Than Congress ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’JPSC Protest Enters Day 14: Students Demand Exam Cancellation, CBI Probe After First Talks With GovtSonam Wangchuk Says Wife Sought Rahul Gandhi’s Help To End His 26-Day Hunger Strike At Jantar MantarOMCs Say E20 Petrol Meets Quality Standards After Nationwide Testing, Reject Contamination ClaimsNeha Bora Inked During Jharkhand Student Protest: AISA Alleges Political Attack, Accused DetainedJharkhand JPSC Protest: Hunger Striker Hospitalised After Four Days As Students Continue AgitationTamil Nadu CM Vijay’s Wife Sangeetha Withdraws Divorce Petition, Family Court Allows Withdrawal’Proof Of Corruption?’ JPSC Aspirant Makes Explosive Claims As Student Protests Intensify In RanchiExplained: Why PM Modi Asked NDA MPs To Avoid The ‘Lutyens’ Web’ And Stay Focused On Public OutreachBeyond BrahMos: Why Drones And Smart Weapons Could Become India’s Next Defence Export Boom?123Photostories5 traditional oils to mix with curry leaves for thicker, stronger, and longer hairManisha Rani’s approximately Rs 6 crore luxurious Mumbai home: A fancy walk-in closet, vanity and moreWhy do we light diyas? 5 spiritual meanings behind this everyday ritualKriti Sanon’s bridal era just went futuristic in Gaurav Gupta couture11 foods that are considered lucky around the worldThe jobs that ask for “excellent communication skills” may be telling you something else: How to read between the lines of a job description6 surprising things that quietly create emotional intimacy in a relationshipDid you know that Manas is more than tigers? 8 elusive wild-cat species found hereFoods to eat and avoid during Sawan, according to AyurvedaNot just a balcony, 5 spaces that you can easily use for gardening your green friends123Hot PicksThailand School ShootingUPI TransactionsAsk Me AnythingJharkhand protestGurgaon rainNICL Assistant RecruitmentAnkur WarikooIndia Labour CodesGold rate todayTop TrendingJapanese Quote of the dayNagpur Rape CaseAbhijeet DipkeGujarat Mystery WellJPSC ProtestDelhi RainDelhi Wife MurderEknath ShindeTamil Nadu BudgetPraveen Nettaru Murder Case

Rahul Gandhi, left, with Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during the Monsoon session of Parliament Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with Kalavati went viral in 2008, back when “viral” meant something very different. The widow of a farmer who died by suicide, she was raising nine children in Vidarbha when Rahul met her, and he later invoked her life in Parliament during the Indo-US nuclear deal debate.Eighteen years later, the Leader of Opposition stood beside Rhiya Ahir, the 27-year-old Mumbai woman who became a social-media sensation during the student protests after standing in front of a police van carrying detained protesters.Between those two moments, an entire generation grew up and largely walked away from the Grand Old Party in search of achhe din. Broadly speaking, Congress lost the millennials in large parts of the country, barring the South. Now, as anti-incumbency gradually catches up with the ruling regime, Congress is looking at a fresh crop of voters who could form a decisive electoral bloc by 2029.Rahul’s communication strategy over the past month has laid out the approach clearly. From an unparliamentary expression inside Parliament that was later expunged, to telling protesting students they did not need to apologise to the prime minister, to an Instagram outreach mixing serious student questions with playful jibes at “Amarinder Uncle”, the attempt to speak Gen Z’s language is unmistakable.Former Congress leader Sanjay Jha, speaking to TOI, said he believes Rahul’s natural lingo is more attuned to Gen Z than Modi’s. He says the prime minister’s recent Instagram outreach came across as condescending to sections of young users, while Rahul seems more natural. Jha is categorical, according to him, Rahul represents the future and Modi the past.Despite successive Assembly victories after its underwhelming 2024 Lok Sabha performance, the BJP suddenly appears to be on a slightly sticky wicket. The NEET agitation has claimed a high-profile political scalp, a rarity in this government. For Rahul, it is a no-brainer to cash in on that advantage.The generation that got awayThe generation that was in its 20s and early 30s during the 2014 election firmly reposed its faith in the BJP or, more specifically, in Narendra Modi. His appeal as an outsider breaking through Delhi’s entrenched power elite resonated with aspirational young voters. The pitch around development, technology, entrepreneurship and muscular nationalism continued to reap dividends election after election.An analysis of Lokniti-CSDS National Election Study data shows BJP support among voters aged 18-25 rising from 34% in 2014 to 41% in 2019. Congress remained stuck at 19%. The personal gap was even wider, with 51% of young respondents preferring Modi as prime minister in 2019, against 23% for Rahul.The BJP did more than defeat Congress among the young; it captured their imagination about what the future could look like. By 2024, however, a subsequent Lokniti-CSDS analysis found that no party had succeeded in carving out a distinct youth constituency. That churn is precisely what makes 2029 interesting.The beauty of democracy is that there is always a fresh test after five years. The next general election can be a very different proposition, or at least that is what Congress would hope.The 36-crore electionBy 2029, Gen Z will be far from a niche constituency.Using the common definition of Gen Z as those born between 1997 and 2012, its voting-age members in 2029 will be roughly 18 to 32 years old. An interpolation of the National Commission on Population’s 2026 and 2031 age-group projections suggests India could have around 36.4 crore people in the voting-age Gen Z cohort by then. These are projected people of voting age, not registered electors, and actual turnout will obviously be lower.The arithmetic is still striking. Uttar Pradesh could have around 6.65 crore Gen Z adults in 2029, Bihar 3.73 crore, Maharashtra 3.18 crore, West Bengal 2.40 crore, Madhya Pradesh 2.34 crore and Rajasthan 2.25 crore. Gujarat could have 1.86 crore, Tamil Nadu 1.67 crore, Karnataka 1.63 crore, Andhra Pradesh 1.22 crore, Odisha 1.15 crore and Telangana around 92 lakh.Supporters of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) celebrate after Dharmendra Pradhan resignedTogether, these 12 states could contain nearly 29 crore voting-age Gen Z Indians. On the current electoral map, they account for 420 Lok Sabha seats, though delimitation could change that arithmetic before 2029.Awkwardly for Congress, it remains organisationally weak in several states where the Gen Z pool will be largest. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar alone could contain more than 10 crore Gen Z adults. Instagram can reach these voters, but holding on to them requires organisation.Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy has taken the outreach a step further, proposing that the minimum age to contest Lok Sabha and Assembly elections be lowered from 25 to 21, and that for the Rajya Sabha and legislative councils from 30 to 25.But the question comes back at Congress. Even if the legal age is lowered, will it actually give tickets to 21-year-olds?The break Congress could not manufactureThe party has been trying, with limited success, to get into the youth mind space for years. Rahul’s campus visits, student conversations, attacks on unemployment and repeated interventions on paper leaks all predate the present protest cycle.The Bharat Jodo Yatra tried to remake Rahul as a leader who would walk and listen rather than merely speak. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra before the 2024 election sharpened that pitch. That eventually became the five-part Yuva Nyay offer. Yet it did not acquire a life beyond the election cycle. There was no large youth groundswell speaking the language of Yuva Nyay. Like many Congress programmes, it was launched, discussed and eventually sank without a trace.The Cockroach Janta Party began as a satirical, digital-first intervention with what old political parties lacked: irreverence, little legacy baggage and a vocabulary born on social media. It gave accumulated frustration a conduit. Online anger over examination leaks spilled onto the street and widened into a protest over education costs, employment and institutional accountability. For Congress, this was the break it had spent years trying to manufacture but failed to produce.Jha offers perhaps the sharpest explanation for why CJP succeeded where conventional opposition parties struggled. The Modi government, he argues, can use agencies and the coercive power of the state to pressure political adversaries. It can also resort to what he calls “convenient whataboutery” about 60 years of Congress rule. Students have fewer institutional or political stakes that can be turned against them, and familiar political labels do not work on them, according to Jha.The challenge in front of CongressThe opposition, he says, failed to galvanise frustration that has now “erupted like a volcano”. A party serious about youth politics, he asks, must also explain why the NSUI and Youth Congress were not present at Jantar Mantar in much larger numbers.Political expert Subhamoy Maitra sees the emergence of figures like Abhijeet Dipke as evidence of a wider leadership crisis in mainstream political parties. Ashutosh Chatterjee, general secretary of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress and a former student leader, rejects that charge. Leaders are not “propped up”, he argues; those who consistently echo public sentiment eventually get recognition. He cites Kanhaiya Kumar, Manish Sharma and Vinod Jakhar among Congress’s next generation and credits Rahul’s Chhatra Ki Goonj with helping catalyse the student movement. He is categorical that there is no dearth of talent in Congress.Rahul has meanwhile walked a tightrope with CJP, amplifying the issues, raising them in Parliament and meeting protesters while keeping a measured distance from Dipke and the core leadership. Congress wants to latch on to the momentum without getting directly associated with it, believes Maitra. Since the leaders of CJP are relatively unknown, he argues, it makes more sense for Rahul Gandhi to share a stage with the likes of AISA’s Neha Bora. With Sonam Wangchuk revealing that Rahul Gandhi even declined to break his fast, it is clear that the Congress leader is trying to keep the protesters at arm’s length.Political scientist and former Calcutta University registrar Dr Rajagopal Dhar Chakraborti believes the NEET agitation was unusual because it organically brought sections of Gen Z together around a wider sense of institutional failure and caught the government off guard. Students, he agrees with Jha, have little to lose and are harder to intimidate.But Dr Chakraborti doubts Congress can simply inherit the dividend. CJP, he suggests, could eventually test the electoral waters itself rather than hand its constituency to any established party. He echoes the sentiments of Prashant Kishore that Bankipur result too is an indication of the mood inside the Gen Z constituents.Jobs may be the bigger triggerThe World Bank estimates that around 11 million young Indians will enter the labour market every year over the next two decades. Increasingly, the crisis is about the quality of employment, not just its availability. The gig economy cannot be a panacea for an increasingly educated and aspirational society. For decades, the implicit social contract was simple: a higher-education degree would culminate in a well-paying job. That notion is now under stress.AI, automation and other macroeconomic pressures could sharpen the mismatch. If India produces ever larger cohorts of graduates but a disproportionate share of new work remains temporary, informal or low-productivity, education itself could become a source of discontent. Congress leader Chatterjee believes that the combination of unemployment, recurring paper leaks, shrinking space for public education and growing commercialisation of education will eventually push younger voters towards Congress. He says Congress can offer Gen Z “total transparency”.Can Congress states offer an alternative?States do not control the entire macroeconomy, but they still have a large role to play in shaping the future of Indians, especially in areas like education, which is on the Constitution’s Concurrent List. Jha believes Congress needs an alternative model of governance where performance can speak for itself. He earmarks states like Karnataka and Kerala that could effectively be projected as models of governance.But the inferno of student unrest has the potential to spill into opposition-ruled states, as Jharkhand is showing.Congress is a partner in the JMM-led government, where students and government-job aspirants have protested alleged irregularities involving JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations. Rahul Gandhi, to his credit, has addressed the issue head-on, describing the education system as having “collapsed” and become expensive and oppressive.More importantly, he refused to exempt governments involving his own party, saying every government, including the one in Jharkhand, should listen to students and act.From Rajiv’s computers to Rahul’s paper leaksCongress has travelled this road before.NSUI channelled students into party politics, and Youth Congress provided the next rung. Rahul himself has spent almost two decades trying to build a younger political layer, with limited gains. Across large parts of India, the party remains top-heavy.Dr Chakraborti turns almost wistful recalling how Rajiv enthused younger Indians before getting bogged down by a coterie of older Congress hands. Rajiv Gandhi once captured the young imagination far more successfully. In a pre-liberalisation India, computers and telecommunications became symbols of a future arriving early. His government also lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.The recent NEET debate in Parliament showed how Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi are operating. Rahul sought to legitimise student anger without claiming ownership of it. He told Parliament that Indians should be proud of the protesters, described students as people willing to question and keep their minds open, and called an expensive and commercialised education system an “extortion system”.Priyanka spoke about injured students, asked whether protesters were “terrorists”, and delivered a sharp line: if the prime minister wanted to win them back, he needed to change the “angle of his heart”, not the camera angle.Rahul Gandhi protesting in front of PM Modi’s residenceGen Z doesn’t owe its vote to anyonePolitical pundit Subhamoy Maitra offers the necessary caution.It is far from clear, he says, how protest politics translates into electoral democracy. Barring movements such as Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption agitation and the RG Kar protests, relatively few civil-society uprisings have produced durable electoral consequences in the last decade and a half. He also believes Rahul still needs to shed the perception of being a “part-time politician”. Chatterjee rejects that description, asking when a Leader of Opposition had previously had to shed blood while standing with protesters, as Rahul did during the NEET agitation.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesFor all the marketing jargon, Gen Z is not one homogeneous political community. Caste, religion, region, class and gender will not disappear merely because everyone uses Instagram. Students can welcome Rahul as an amplifier and still refuse to accept him as their leader. CJP has already shown that young Indians can organise outside both the ruling party and the established opposition. The party has already announced its next campaign ” Kya Bolti Public”. Dr Chakraborti believes that this may well be a precursor to CJP testing waters in next year’s Uttar Pradesh elections.Gen Z content creators often harp on one word, which is consistency. That, they say, is what eventually produces organic reach. Rahul Gandhi might want to borrow the lesson, believes Sanjay Jha. Between Kalavati and Rhiya Ahir, Rahul Gandhi has toiled hard, often without much to show for it. Maybe that is because the party is yet to fundamentally establish how a Congress-ruled India would be different. That targeted messaging and, more importantly, tangible execution will be crucial.Nearly 36 crore young Indians could be up for grabs in 2029. Sooner or later, they will ask what actually changed after they were heard.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorArghya Prasun RoychowdhuryInterested in politics, policy, data and cricket.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Did We Fail To Listen’: Tharoor Admits CJP Protest Resonated More Than Congress ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’JPSC Protest Enters Day 14: Students Demand Exam Cancellation, CBI Probe After First Talks With GovtSonam Wangchuk Says Wife Sought Rahul Gandhi’s Help To End His 26-Day Hunger Strike At Jantar MantarOMCs Say E20 Petrol Meets Quality Standards After Nationwide Testing, Reject Contamination ClaimsNeha Bora Inked During Jharkhand Student Protest: AISA Alleges Political Attack, Accused DetainedJharkhand JPSC Protest: Hunger Striker Hospitalised After Four Days As Students Continue AgitationTamil Nadu CM Vijay’s Wife Sangeetha Withdraws Divorce Petition, Family Court Allows Withdrawal’Proof Of Corruption?’ JPSC Aspirant Makes Explosive Claims As Student Protests Intensify In RanchiExplained: Why PM Modi Asked NDA MPs To Avoid The ‘Lutyens’ Web’ And Stay Focused On Public OutreachBeyond BrahMos: Why Drones And Smart Weapons Could Become India’s Next Defence Export Boom?123Photostories5 traditional oils to mix with curry leaves for thicker, stronger, and longer hairManisha Rani’s approximately Rs 6 crore luxurious Mumbai home: A fancy walk-in closet, vanity and moreWhy do we light diyas? 5 spiritual meanings behind this everyday ritualKriti Sanon’s bridal era just went futuristic in Gaurav Gupta couture11 foods that are considered lucky around the worldThe jobs that ask for “excellent communication skills” may be telling you something else: How to read between the lines of a job description6 surprising things that quietly create emotional intimacy in a relationshipDid you know that Manas is more than tigers? 8 elusive wild-cat species found hereFoods to eat and avoid during Sawan, according to AyurvedaNot just a balcony, 5 spaces that you can easily use for gardening your green friends123Hot PicksThailand School ShootingUPI TransactionsAsk Me AnythingJharkhand protestGurgaon rainNICL Assistant RecruitmentAnkur WarikooIndia Labour CodesGold rate todayTop TrendingJapanese Quote of the dayNagpur Rape CaseAbhijeet DipkeGujarat Mystery WellJPSC ProtestDelhi RainDelhi Wife MurderEknath ShindeTamil Nadu BudgetPraveen Nettaru Murder Case

Vamsikrishna 0
Mayawati slams Akhilesh over his PDA’s ‘pandit’ twist NEW DELHI: BSP supremo Mayawati on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party, accusing it of changing its political position for electoral gains after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav gave a new interpretation to the party’s PDA formula.BSP chief Mayawati alleged that the SP was now trying to attract Brahmin voters after noticing growing support for the BSP among upper-caste communities, particularly Brahmins.Her remarks came after Akhilesh Yadav, while addressing a Brahmin Sammelan in Lucknow earlier this week, said the “P” in the SP’s PDA formula — Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak, could also stand for “Pandit”. He also accused the BJP government of targeting Brahmins.In a post on X, Mayawati said, “As is well known, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is an Ambedkarite party dedicated to the welfare of all sections of society, implementing the policy and principle of ‘Sarvajan Hitaya and Sarvajan Sukhaya,’ and the four governments it formed in UP were also run on this very basis, whereas the Samajwadi Party (SP) keeps changing colours like a chameleon, openly and evidently, for the sake of its narrow casteist politics and electoral interests, etc.”Mayawati then took aim at the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party over its latest interpretation of the PDA formula, alleging that the party was changing the meaning of “P” from “Pichhde” to “Pandit” to attract Brahmin voters.”In this very sequence, after first promoting ‘P’ in their so-called ‘PDA’–meaning (Backward, Dalit, Minority)–as ‘Pichhde’ (Backward), now, upon seeing the upper-caste society, especially the Brahmin community, rapidly joining the BSP and party candidates being nominated on that very basis, the SP, feeling unsettled, has now changed ‘P’ to ‘Pandit,’ which is nothing short of another living proof of their political deception and trickery, if not, then what else is it?” the post read.Mayawati also urged voters from all communities to remain alert against what she called the SP’s “narrow casteist politics”. She argued that such strategies might bring short-term electoral gains but would not serve the interests of society as a whole.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelines”Such politics of deception and trickery may temporarily benefit some individual for a short while, but it can never lead to the welfare of the entire society. Therefore, people from all sections of society must certainly remain vigilant against such a deceptive Samajwadi Party (SP) and its narrow casteist politics; this is the demand of the times and also in the interest of all sections of society,” the post further read.Akhilesh hailed his “Pichchde, Dalit, Adivasi — PDA” formula after strongly denting BJP in Lok Sabha elections 2024.The exchange between the two former chief ministers comes as Uttar Pradesh gradually enters election mode, with assembly polls due next year.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAbhishek MishraAbhishek Mishra is a Digital Content Producer at The Times of India, working with the news desk. He writes with a keen eye on foreign policy, defence developments, and the shifting currents of geopolitics-and yes, Indian politics always finds a way onto his radar too.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Did We Fail To Listen’: Tharoor Admits CJP Protest Resonated More Than Congress ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’JPSC Protest Enters Day 14: Students Demand Exam Cancellation, CBI Probe After First Talks With GovtSonam Wangchuk Says Wife Sought Rahul Gandhi’s Help To End His 26-Day Hunger Strike At Jantar MantarOMCs Say E20 Petrol Meets Quality Standards After Nationwide Testing, Reject Contamination ClaimsNeha Bora Inked During Jharkhand Student Protest: AISA Alleges Political Attack, Accused DetainedJharkhand JPSC Protest: Hunger Striker Hospitalised After Four Days As Students Continue AgitationTamil Nadu CM Vijay’s Wife Sangeetha Withdraws Divorce Petition, Family Court Allows Withdrawal’Proof Of Corruption?’ JPSC Aspirant Makes Explosive Claims As Student Protests Intensify In RanchiExplained: Why PM Modi Asked NDA MPs To Avoid The ‘Lutyens’ Web’ And Stay Focused On Public OutreachBeyond BrahMos: Why Drones And Smart Weapons Could Become India’s Next Defence Export Boom?123PhotostoriesThe jobs that ask for “excellent communication skills” may be telling you something else: How to read between the lines of a job description6 surprising things that quietly create emotional intimacy in a relationshipDid you know that Manas is more than tigers? 8 elusive wild-cat species found hereFoods to eat and avoid during Sawan, according to AyurvedaNot just a balcony, 5 spaces that you can easily use for gardening your green friendsVitamin B12 deficiency is not just a vegetarian problem: The lesser-known reasons your levels can fall10 wedding desserts from around the world that are rich in tradition and symbolismYour date of birth reveals your secret lucky charm for August 2026Starting strength training after 40? 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Mayawati slams Akhilesh over his PDA’s ‘pandit’ twist NEW DELHI: BSP supremo Mayawati on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Samajwadi Party, accusing it of changing its political position for electoral gains after SP chief Akhilesh Yadav gave a new interpretation to the party’s PDA formula.BSP chief Mayawati alleged that the SP was now trying to attract Brahmin voters after noticing growing support for the BSP among upper-caste communities, particularly Brahmins.Her remarks came after Akhilesh Yadav, while addressing a Brahmin Sammelan in Lucknow earlier this week, said the “P” in the SP’s PDA formula — Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak, could also stand for “Pandit”. He also accused the BJP government of targeting Brahmins.In a post on X, Mayawati said, “As is well known, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is an Ambedkarite party dedicated to the welfare of all sections of society, implementing the policy and principle of ‘Sarvajan Hitaya and Sarvajan Sukhaya,’ and the four governments it formed in UP were also run on this very basis, whereas the Samajwadi Party (SP) keeps changing colours like a chameleon, openly and evidently, for the sake of its narrow casteist politics and electoral interests, etc.”Mayawati then took aim at the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party over its latest interpretation of the PDA formula, alleging that the party was changing the meaning of “P” from “Pichhde” to “Pandit” to attract Brahmin voters.”In this very sequence, after first promoting ‘P’ in their so-called ‘PDA’–meaning (Backward, Dalit, Minority)–as ‘Pichhde’ (Backward), now, upon seeing the upper-caste society, especially the Brahmin community, rapidly joining the BSP and party candidates being nominated on that very basis, the SP, feeling unsettled, has now changed ‘P’ to ‘Pandit,’ which is nothing short of another living proof of their political deception and trickery, if not, then what else is it?” the post read.Mayawati also urged voters from all communities to remain alert against what she called the SP’s “narrow casteist politics”. She argued that such strategies might bring short-term electoral gains but would not serve the interests of society as a whole.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelines”Such politics of deception and trickery may temporarily benefit some individual for a short while, but it can never lead to the welfare of the entire society. Therefore, people from all sections of society must certainly remain vigilant against such a deceptive Samajwadi Party (SP) and its narrow casteist politics; this is the demand of the times and also in the interest of all sections of society,” the post further read.Akhilesh hailed his “Pichchde, Dalit, Adivasi — PDA” formula after strongly denting BJP in Lok Sabha elections 2024.The exchange between the two former chief ministers comes as Uttar Pradesh gradually enters election mode, with assembly polls due next year.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAbhishek MishraAbhishek Mishra is a Digital Content Producer at The Times of India, working with the news desk. He writes with a keen eye on foreign policy, defence developments, and the shifting currents of geopolitics-and yes, Indian politics always finds a way onto his radar too.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Did We Fail To Listen’: Tharoor Admits CJP Protest Resonated More Than Congress ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’JPSC Protest Enters Day 14: Students Demand Exam Cancellation, CBI Probe After First Talks With GovtSonam Wangchuk Says Wife Sought Rahul Gandhi’s Help To End His 26-Day Hunger Strike At Jantar MantarOMCs Say E20 Petrol Meets Quality Standards After Nationwide Testing, Reject Contamination ClaimsNeha Bora Inked During Jharkhand Student Protest: AISA Alleges Political Attack, Accused DetainedJharkhand JPSC Protest: Hunger Striker Hospitalised After Four Days As Students Continue AgitationTamil Nadu CM Vijay’s Wife Sangeetha Withdraws Divorce Petition, Family Court Allows Withdrawal’Proof Of Corruption?’ JPSC Aspirant Makes Explosive Claims As Student Protests Intensify In RanchiExplained: Why PM Modi Asked NDA MPs To Avoid The ‘Lutyens’ Web’ And Stay Focused On Public OutreachBeyond BrahMos: Why Drones And Smart Weapons Could Become India’s Next Defence Export Boom?123PhotostoriesThe jobs that ask for “excellent communication skills” may be telling you something else: How to read between the lines of a job description6 surprising things that quietly create emotional intimacy in a relationshipDid you know that Manas is more than tigers? 8 elusive wild-cat species found hereFoods to eat and avoid during Sawan, according to AyurvedaNot just a balcony, 5 spaces that you can easily use for gardening your green friendsVitamin B12 deficiency is not just a vegetarian problem: The lesser-known reasons your levels can fall10 wedding desserts from around the world that are rich in tradition and symbolismYour date of birth reveals your secret lucky charm for August 2026Starting strength training after 40? The biggest mistakes beginners make and what to do insteadEven with the same diet, why do some people develop kidney disease while others don’t? Doctor explains what really makes the difference123Hot PicksThailand School ShootingUPI TransactionsAsk Me AnythingJharkhand protestGurgaon rainNICL Assistant RecruitmentAnkur WarikooIndia Labour CodesGold rate todayTop TrendingJapanese Quote of the dayNagpur Rape CaseAbhijeet DipkeGujarat Mystery WellJPSC ProtestDelhi RainDelhi Wife MurderEknath ShindeTamil Nadu BudgetPraveen Nettaru Murder Case

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