Azamgarh (UP), Jul 3 (PTI) Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday invoked the “historic” coming together of party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) architect Kanshi Ram, saying it reflected the power of ideological alliances for social justice. Speaking at the inauguration of the party’s new residence and office complex in Azamgarh, Akhilesh referred to a photo shown by a young party worker in the crowd. “That photo has Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and Kanshi Ram together. Think how significant that time was — when two ideologies stood side by side,” he said. Also Read | BJP’s Fight in West Bengal Not Against Muslims but to Improve Their Living Conditions: New State Unit Chief Samik Bhattacharya. Dalit icon Kanshi Ram and Mulayam Singh had joined forces in the early 1990s against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which was on the rise at that time. Marking a strategic expansion of the party’s eastern Uttar Pradesh presence ahead of the 2027 state polls, Akhilesh said Azamgarh held a special emotional connection for his father Mulayam Singh. Also Read | Who Is Soham Parekh, Indian Techie Accused of Duping Multiple Companies? What鈥檚 His Reaction to Allegations of Moonlighting?. “The kind of love and respect Azamgarh gives is rare. Netaji had a deep emotional bond with this place and the people here always stood by him,” he added. Mulayam Singh was popularly and fondly addressed as ‘Netaji’. Reflecting on his political journey, the former chief minister said, “A fourth of a century of my life has been spent in politics. I remember how the people of Azamgarh ensured Netaji’s victory in elections.” Taking a dig at the BJP, Akhilesh said, “They have offices with multiple floors but nothing like this. Their office here is small because they know they won’t win from here.” Pointing to infrastructure gains made under his tenure, he said, “It takes the same time to reach Azamgarh from Lucknow as it does to reach Etawah’s Saifai now, thanks to the expressways we built.” All 10 assembly seats in Azamgarh and both its Lok Sabha constituencies are currently held by the SP. Akhilesh represented Azamgarh in Parliament from 2019 to 2024, after his father held the seat in 2014. The constituency is now held by his cousin Dharmendra Yadav. The newly inaugurated site, still under construction, spans 68 biswa (approximately 82,960 sq ft) along the Azamgarh-Faizabad highway in Anwarganj. SP officials said it would serve as Akhilesh’s second permanent base after Saifai in Etawah. A training centre for party workers will also be developed on the premises, with a foundation stone laid during the visit. Speaking further, Akhilesh launched a scathing attack on the BJP, alleging that the ruling party was attempting to dismantle the core principles of social justice enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Taking a jibe at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Akhilesh said, “They accuse us of having links with the ‘D company’, but the truth is that those sitting in Lucknow are terrified of ‘D’, which stands for Delhi (the central leadership). In fact, they’re even scared of the two ‘Ds’ in their government — the deputy chief ministers.” Akhilesh accused the BJP of strategically targeting the ideals of reservation, socialism and secularism, especially when elections approach. “Whenever elections in Bihar come close, they start speaking against reservation, the Constitution and secularism. When they fear a backlash from their vote base, they attack these values indirectly by undermining social justice,” he said. Referring to the early days of the BJP, Akhilesh reminded the audience of its foundational debates. “At their first convention, the BJP deliberated on what ideological path to adopt. Some wanted to stick with their original (RSS-driven) ideology but many knew that India would never accept that path.” Therefore, he said, the BJP chose socialism and secularism but they have forgotten that resolution today. Addressing the rising demand for a caste census, Akhilesh said, “People are increasingly aware that a caste census will lead to real empowerment. That’s why the Samajwadi Party has resolved to realise the vision of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia’s vision which Mulayam Singh Yadav and other socialist leaders have upheld.” He called for unity under the PDA [Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak ( backward, Dalit and minorities)] banner, Akhilesh said, “This is the very same community that Babasaheb fought for, the same one we call Bahujan Samaj. PDA stands for the ‘peedit, dukhi, apmaanit’ (oppressed, distressed, humiliated). This is our broader social alliance, and through this unity, we will achieve power and justice.” He proposed naming the newly inaugurated party office in Azamgarh as ‘PDA Bhawan’, declaring that only PDA unity will open the path to social justice and political power.” Warning supporters about rising caste-based discrimination, Akhilesh cited a recent incident in Etawah, where a non-Brahmin storyteller and his aide were allegedly humiliated by upper-caste villagers. “This incident is unimaginable in a country that claims to be on its way to becoming a Vishwaguru (world leader) and boasts of being the third-largest economy. The truth is that their treatment of PDA families is shameful and unacceptable.” “This mindset shows that the BJP does not follow the Constitution; they walk the path once laid down by Manu Maharaj. But we, the PDA, who stand for social justice, can never accept that path,” Akhilesh said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)