Uttar Pradesh no. 1 in atrocities against Dalits under BJP govt: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on 21 April, Monday, claimed that under the BJP government, Uttar Pradesh has become the number one state in the country in terms of atrocities against Dalits.

In a post on X, the former chief minister alleged that Dalit leaders in the BJP are never given real authority and it is held by a select few.

“UP has become No. 1 in terms of atrocities on Dalits under the BJP government,” said Yadav, who also shared a video clip of a news report which claimed that Dalit atrocities in the state were on the rise.

The question is why most of the crimes against Dalits, especially , take place in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and Maharashtra, he said.

दलितों पर अत्याचार के मामले में भाजपा सरकार के समय में यूपी नंबर 1 बन गया है। सवाल ये है कि दलितों पर हमलों और दलितों के ख़िलाफ़ सबसे ज़्यादा अपराधों में, वो भी ख़ासतौर से दलित महिलाओं के उत्पीड़न और दुर्व्यवहार की वारदातों में उप्र, राजस्थान, मप्र, बिहार, ओड़िशा, महाराष्ट्र जैसे… pic.twitter.com/Xc8rLgnMOp

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) April 21, 2025

“The BJP is fundamentally a party of authoritarians and the mindset of its members is deeply feudal in which there is only humiliation and oppression for the poor, marginalised, Dalits, backward classes, minorities, women and tribal people,” Yadav said.

BJP leaders continue to operate with a pre-independence mentality and are inherently opposed to the Constitution, he charged.

“In both party organisation and government, only a select few hold real power. Others are relegated to menial tasks like carrying banners and flags,” he said.

Yadav claimed that Dalits and those from other backward castes may be given symbolic positions in the BJP but they are never entrusted with actual authority.

“Elections are fought in their name but they are not given the chief minister's chair or real leadership roles,” the SP leader said.

Yadav urged the Dalit community to reject the BJP.

He said, “Dalits today must say, ‘We do not want the BJP!’”