Tensions Rise Between SP and RLD as RLD Aligns with BJP Ahead of UP Elections

In August, during an event in Lucknow, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav taunted Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary without naming him: "Jaane kahan-kahan se aa gaye tha gathbandhan wale. Hum log chavanni ka rupaye, toh bhi bachche wala hai (We have come from somewhere in the alliance)." The statement made headlines. The comment was linked to the self-esteem of Jats, farmers, and backwards. As the SP grew wary of the prospect of hot winds, the RLD has also begun to strategise with the BJP for 136 Jat-dominated seats, especially in western Uttar Pradesh. This could be echoed on the birth anniversary of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh on December 23, for which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to visit Chaudhary's native village Noorpur in Hapur. The BJP, which has faced challenges in western Uttar Pradesh due to the farmers "agitation and Jat resentment, hopes that its path will be smoothened with the support of the RLD, which does politics of farmers and Jats.