Bhim Army chief and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad has launched a scathing attack on Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav, accusing him of harbouring a deeply anti-Dalit mindset. In a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Chandrashekhar alleged that the SP government between 2012 and 2017 deliberately denied appointments to 78 Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates selected by the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) for the post of Assistant Review Officer (ARO).
Calling this a blatant violation of constitutional provisions, Chandrashekhar said the SP’s decision reflected its “narrow and vindictive” attitude toward Dalits. He urged the Yogi government to provide justice to the affected candidates and ensure their immediate appointment. The issue, he said, has left the 78 selected candidates waiting for justice for over a decade. According to Chandrashekhar, some of the aspirants have died waiting, while others are battling serious illnesses and financial distress. “This is possibly the first instance in independent India where candidates selected through a valid constitutional process were not given appointments by a government driven by casteist bias,” he wrote.
Chandrashekhar alleged that the SP government not only defied the recommendation of the UPPSC but also misused legal processes to intentionally stall the appointments. “This reveals the party’s utter disregard for Dalit rights and exposes its duplicity when it comes to social justice,” he said. In his letter, Chandrashekhar expressed full confidence in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, calling him a beacon of hope for the aggrieved Dalit candidates. He appealed to the CM to take immediate corrective action and issue appointment letters to the selected SC/ST aspirants. “This is not just about jobs; it’s about correcting a historic injustice,” he said.
Highlighting what he called a pattern of Dalit discrimination, Chandrashekhar reminded that the SP’s student wing, the Samajwadi Lohia Vahini, had in the past desecrated a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar by replacing his face with Akhilesh Yadav’s image. “That shameful act reflected the SP’s true attitude towards Dalit icons,” he said, adding that the incident had prompted strict action and an FIR by the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. “Chandrashekhar’s strong words have added fresh heat to the political discourse in Uttar Pradesh, sharpening the debate over the SP’s commitment to social justice and raising expectations from the Yogi government to address past wrongs,” said Manoj Bhadra, a political analyst.