Hathras (UP), Sep 21 (PTI) Giving a new twist to Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s “chavanni” (25 paise) jibe, senior Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader KC Tyagi on Monday asserted, “We are not a chavanni, but a Rs 500 note carrying the picture of Mahatma Gandhi.” Tyagi was reacting to Akhilesh’s remarks made in August, when he called his former ally and RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary a “chavanni”.
The remark was in reference to Chaudhary’s comment during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election campaign, when he rejected BJP’s overtures while being an SP ally, saying he was not a “chavanni” who could be “flipped” easily.
Chaudhary later end his alliance with the SP and joined the BJP-led NDA. He is currently a Union minister.
The fierce exchange comes as political parties gear up for the 2027 assembly elections.
Tyagi took further potshots at Akhilesh, saying that while his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, was aware of former prime minister and Jayant’s grandfather Chaudhary Charan Singh’s political clout, “the next generation did not remember this.” He was speaking at the commencement of the party’s ‘Swabhiman Samman Padyatra evam Samrasta Abhiyan’ ( self-respect, dignity foot march and social harmony campaign) in Mursan, Hathras.
This was Tyagi’s first public interaction in the Braj region after joining the RLD.
Referring to the ‘chavanni’ jibe, Tyagi, the chairman of the RLD Parliamentary Board, said, “We have to prove that we are not a ‘chavanni’, but a Rs 500 note.”.
Tyagi appealed to the people, saying that if they ever felt that the “lotus” (BJP’s election symbol) was wilting, they should draw water from the “tap” (RLD’s election symbol) so that it blooms.
“The stronger the Rashtriya Lok Dal becomes, the stronger the NDA will be,” he said, affirming that his party stands with the BJP and will continue to do so in the future.
“We are not turncoats,” he reiterated.
Later, speaking to reporters about the BJP’s plans to bring a Union Civil Code, Tyagi said that the Constitution envisions this.
“People have started raising an outcry even before the draft is released. When the draft does come out, we want consultations to be held with all stakeholders, including the states, as they are the ones who will have to implement it,” he said.
Tyagi left Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United), which is also part of the NDA, and joined the RLD in March this year, saying there is no difference between the two parties as both follow the ideals of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh and socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.
He vowed to carry forward the vision and ideals of Charan Singh during his stint in the RLD.
The veteran socialist leader joined the RLD along with his supporters in the presence of the party president and Union minister Jayant Chaudhary at an event in New Delhi.
He had announced his exit from the JD(U), without citing any reason.
He was associated with the JD(U) since it came into existence in October 2003 with the merger of the Samata Party and the Janata Dal.
Tyagi served the JD(U) in various capacities, including as its chief general secretary, chief spokesperson and political adviser to Kumar. PTI COR NAV KSI KSI KSI
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