14 hours ago
Last Updated:May 16, 2025, 16:00 IST
UP CM Yogi calls it dishonour to defence forces. Deputy CM Maurya says Vyomika Singh is India’s pride. Ram Gopal Yadav says BJP commented before listening to the entire statement
Ram Gopal Yadav is being criticised for his remarks on Vyomika Singh's caste. (News18/X)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has hit back strongly at the Samajwadi Party over their MP Ram Gopal Yadav’s remarks on the caste of Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, who was seen in the media briefings on Operation Sindoor.
Yadav, while speaking in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad on Thursday, said that the three prominent faces who were addressing press conferences to brief the nation on the action against Pakistan were from the PDA community. “Colonel Sophia Qureshi is a Muslim, Air Marshall Awadhesh Bharti is a Yadav from Bihar, and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh is a Jatav from Haryana."
He then went on to specify the sub caste among Jatavs and used a word, which has long been declared unparliamentary.
The term PDA has been coined by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, denoting Pichda for OBCs, Dalits for SC/STs, Alpsankhyaks for minorities. Akhilesh has been wooing the three groups to expand the base of the SP. It paid off for Akhilesh during last year’s Lok Sabha polls, with the SP seen winning a sizeable chunk of Dalit and Kurmi votes, apart from its traditional base of Yadavs and Muslims, which resulted in the BJP’s tally going down. Ever since, Akhilesh has been promoting Dalits and non-Yadav OBCs within the party, with his constant companion being Awadhesh Prasad, a Dalit, who got elected as an SP MP from Ayodhya. But Ram Gopal’s statements may hit this endeavour.
सेना की वर्दी ‘जातिवादी चश्मे’ से नहीं देखी जाती है। भारतीय सेना का प्रत्येक सैनिक ‘राष्ट्रधर्म’ निभाता है, न कि किसी जाति या मजहब का प्रतिनिधि होता है।समाजवादी पार्टी के राष्ट्रीय महासचिव द्वारा एक वीरांगना बेटी को जाति की परिधि में बांधना न केवल उनकी पार्टी की संकुचित सोच का…
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) May 15, 2025
BJP’S ATTACK
UP CM Yogi Adityanath took to social media and called it a dishonour to the defence forces. “This distorted castiest mentality leads to dividing soldiers on caste lines just for votes," he said.
जाति व धर्म से परे होती है सेना। सेना का एक ही धर्म होता है ‘देश की रक्षा’। इसलिए सेना में जाति व धर्म देखना ‘ओछी मानसिकता’ है।प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेंद्र मोदी जी ने सेना में भी महिला सशक्तिकरण पर ख़ासा ज़ोर दिया है। सबको उन पर भरोसा करना चाहिए।
— Keshav Prasad Maurya (@kpmaurya1) May 15, 2025
Deputy CM Keshav Maurya said Vyomika Singh is India’s pride and honour. “By labelling her with a caste, Ram Gopal Yadav is disrespecting not just the officer but the entire nation," Maurya said, adding, “Samajwadi Party has a history. When Akhilesh Yadav was the Chief Minister, he withdrew cases against terrorists who were later sentenced to death or life imprisonment when the case was heard in the court. Samajwadi Party is a party that supports terrorists, their hypocrisy has been exposed."
UP BJP chief Bhupender Chowdhry said that both Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal are unable to digest India’s victory over Pakistan and therefore making such castiest remarks.
उत्तर भारत के कुछ राज्यों में विशेषकर उत्तर प्रदेश में जहाँ धर्म, जाति और वर्ग देखकर लोगों पर फ़र्ज़ी मुकदमे लगाये जा रहे हों, जाति धर्म के आधार पर एनकाउंटर किये जा रहे हों, जाति धर्म के आधार पर गैंगस्टर लगा कर संपत्ति जब्त की जा रही हो, जाति धर्म और वर्ग देखकर महिलाओं पर…— Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav (@proframgopalya1) May 16, 2025
SP’s DAMAGE CONTROL
With Ram Gopal cornered, the SP, in its bid to contain the damage, tried to highlight the loose remarks made by Madhya Pradesh BJP minister Vijay Shah against Colonel Sophia Qureshi.
Ram Gopal defended himself: “In some states of North India, particularly Uttar Pradesh, where false cases are being filed against people on the basis of religion, caste and class, encounters are being carried out on the basis of caste and religion, property is being seized by declaring them gangsters on the basis of caste, religion and class, women are being tortured on the basis of caste, religion and class, postings of employees and officers are done on the basis of caste, religion and class, about people with such corrupt mentality, I had said in a programme yesterday that Colonel Sofia was abused because she was identified by her religion, Foreign Secretary Mistry was abused, if these abusers had come to know that Vyomika Singh is Jatav and Air Marshal Avadhesh Bharti is Yadav, then they would not have refrained from abusing these officers also."
“I am surprised that the Chief Minister, under whose nose unimaginable atrocities are being committed on minorities, Dalits and backward classes, tweeted my entire statement without even listening to it. I have no complaint against the media channels that had taken over Islamabad and Rawalpindi because no one except the ruling party trusts them."
BSP chief Mayawati, meanwhile, demanded action against both Ram Gopal Yadav and BJP minister Vijay Shah.
Location : First Published:News politics ‘Dishonour’: SP Faces BJP Fire After MP’s Remark On Wing Commander Vyomika Singh’s Caste
