Why 'deputy' Maurya, and not CM Yogi Adityanath, is in Akhilesh Yadav's firing line

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav

A war of words has erupted on social media between Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav and Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, further intensifying the political atmosphere in the state. In recent weeks, both leaders have exchanged a series of sharp posts, each attempting to outmaneuver the other in a bid to gain favor with the public.

Akhilesh Yadav's repeated targeting of Maurya is being interpreted in various ways in political circles. Some political experts argue that if Akhilesh Yadav aimed to challenge a key figure in Uttar Pradesh's political landscape, it would be chief minister Yogi Adityanath. So, why is he focusing on Maurya, who hails from a backward community?

Political analyst Rajendra Kumar suggests that Yadav's strategy of targeting Maurya serves multiple purposes. By focusing on Maurya, Yadav aims to exploit perceived divisions within the BJP and highlight the challenges faced by backward communities within the ruling party. This tactic could help Yadav consolidate support among backward-class voters, a crucial demographic in Uttar Pradesh politics.

The exchange of posts and counter posts is going on for many months between the two leaders, but it has become more cryptic in the last few weeks. In July, when a war of attrition between Yogi Adityanath and Maurya was at its peak, Akhilesh wrote a one liner on July 16 "Laut ke budhdhu ghar kp aaye”. His remark was directed at Maurya who had returned to Lucknow after visiting New Delhi to meet the top leadership.

In response, Maurya tweeted back, labeling Yadav's comments as misguided and asserting the strength of the BJP's organization in both the state and the country. He dismissed the SP's PDA (Backward, Dalit, and Minority) strategy as fraudulent and claimed that BJP's dominance would continue into the 2027 assembly elections.

Escalating war of words

The exchanges between the two leaders didn't stop there. Akhilesh Yadav followed up with another tweet announcing a "Monsoon Offer," which generated further political buzz. In media interactions, Yadav cryptically mentioned that a "winter offer" is yet to come, continuing his indirect jabs at Maurya. In a subsequent statement, Yadav accused Maurya of being a "pawn of Delhi" and a mere "password of Delhi's WiFi," implying Maurya's lack of autonomy.

Maurya hit back, accusing Yadav of targeting and insulting the backward classes. He asserted that the BJP would repeat its 2017 success in the 2027 elections, emphasizing that the "lotus" (BJP's symbol) would continue to bloom.

In their posts, both Akhilesh and Keshav Maurya avoided mentioning each other's names directly but dropped enough hints to clearly indicate who their targets were.

After high court order asking UP government to revise recruitment list of 69,000 teachers Akhilesh, without taking any name said: "Those who give pain should not claim to give medicine!"

Yadav accused a "favoured deputy CM" of being complicit in the alleged manipulation of reservation rights during the recruitment process.

In response to Yadav's post, Maurya wrote in his post in X: "SP Bahadur, Congress pawn, Shri Akhilesh Yadav's PDA is a big fraud. Just like SP, which has become an automatic machine of telling lies, propagated that the Constitution will be abolished in the Lok Sabha elections, in the same way, they are spreading the lie about PDA."

Early this week, Maurya took to X and wrote in Hindi: “The late ‘Dhartiputra’ Mulayam Singh may not have even imagined in his worst nightmares that after his passing, his son would become a courtier of the Gandhi family. This has deeply hurt his community that Netaji’s son would serve someone else.”

Maurya’s comment appears to be a response to Akhilesh’s post on Monday, where he took a swipe at Maurya for praising Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at a public event in Mirzapur on Sunday, Maurya had lauded Yogi, saying, “People know and believe that our double-engine government is doing the best work in the country since Independence. Is there any leader like PM Modi in the world, and is there any CM like Yogi Adityanath in the country?’”

Shortly after Maurya’s praise for Yogi, Akhilesh wrote on X in Hindi: “A deputy is applauding the double engine despite suffering a double defeat. If the honourable CM was doing a good job, would there be a need for two deputy chief ministers? This means either he’s not doing the right thing or the other two are incompetent and only good for praising the master. If the deputies were really useful, should they have been in the Delhi division as well? Will the deputy respond to this or remain silent?”

Political implications

The ongoing social media spat has sparked widespread discussions from Uttar Pradesh to Delhi. Political analysts suggest that Akhilesh Yadav's consistent targeting of Maurya, who hails from the backward community, is a strategic move. “By doing so, Yadav aims to highlight internal discord within the BJP and appeal to the backward classes, potentially strengthening his own support base,” Rajendra Kumar, a political analyst said.

Kumar believes Yadav's attacks on Maurya serve a dual purpose: undermining the BJP and sending a message to the backward classes that Maurya's position within his party is unstable. “Yadav is leveraging this opportunity to solidify his PDA strategy and attract more support from backward communities,” he said.

In their tweets, Akhilesh calls Maurya as 'Mananiya Deputy’ while Maurya calls Akhilesh as SP Bahadur or Congress ka Mohra.

Dr Manoj Mishra, a former professor of the Department fo Political Science, at DAV College, said that the confrontation between Yadav and Maurya has evolved beyond social media. “Yadav's strategy is to emphasize the perceived marginalization of backward classes within the BJP, while Maurya aims to counter this narrative by portraying Yadav as the one targeting backward communities,” he said.

He said: “The social media skirmish between Akhilesh Yadav and Keshav Prasad Maurya highlights the broader political maneuvering in Uttar Pradesh. As both leaders continue to trade barbs, the implications of their statements extend beyond personal attacks, touching on significant issues of caste and community support ahead of upcoming by-elections and the 2027 assembly elections.”