New Delhi, August 23, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday accused Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav of insulting the Jat community over his recent “chavanni” remark, a day after Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary hit back at the comment.
Addressing a recent event, Yadav had said he did not know where some people who joined hands with the SP had come from and claimed that his party had increased their political “value” from a “chavanni” (25 paise) to one rupee before they left.
The remark was widely seen as a reference to Jayant Chaudhary.
Responding on X on Saturday, Chaudhary said that if Yadav wanted to use “cheap words” in politics, he could at least have taken his name. He also accused the SP chief of targeting the Jat community and criticised what he described as arrogance.
BJP MP Dinesh Sharma told IANS that since Yadav had referred to Chaudhary without naming him, the comment amounted to an insult to the wider Jat community.
“Chaudhary Charan Singh (Jayant’s grandfather) was a top leader, not only of the Jat community, but also among the farmer leaders. Calling his grandson ‘chavanni’ is an insult to the entire community,” Sharma said.
BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi claimed that Yadav was concerned about Chaudhary because he was feeling “isolated and troubled”. He alleged that the SP chief was keeping his political options open by reaching out to leaders such as Om Prakash Rajbhar and Jayant Chaudhary.
Uttar Pradesh Minister Narendra Kumar Kashyap also criticised Yadav, accusing him of insulting RLD leaders, former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh and the Jat community.
“Since RLD is a trusted ally of the NDA, all alliance partners are standing with the party,” Kashyap said, warning that the SP chief would have to face the political consequences of his remarks.
The exchange comes amid continuing political differences between the SP and RLD, with BJP leaders using Chaudhary’s response to step up their criticism of Yadav.
BJP leaders accused Akhilesh Yadav of insulting the Jat community after his “chavanni” remark was seen as a reference to Jayant Chaudhary.
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