AIMIM’s Shadab Chouhan Says Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘PDA’ Formula Is Incomplete Without Owaisi

On Sunday, AIMIM’s national spokesperson Shadab Chouhan launched a pointed attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP), saying the party’s much‑talked‑about “PDA” (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) formula is fundamentally flawed – it’s missing the “A”, which he insists must stand for Asaduddin Owaisi.

Chouhan didn’t mince words when he described the SP’s record on minority issues as a “deafening silence”. He reminded listeners that, for more than three decades, the SP had courted Muslim votes, yet in the past nine years it was nowhere to be seen when bulldozers razed mosques and khanqahs in places like Saharanpur.

“You can count on over a hundred MLAs and thirty‑seven MPs, but when a mosque is under threat you’re suddenly mute,” he said, adding that the party only acknowledges Muslim concerns because AIMIM’s mass mobilisation has forced its hand.

Chouhan’s criticism went beyond rhetoric. He extended a concrete invitation: “We are ready to sit down with Akhilesh Yadav, pool our secular votes and stop Yogi Adityanath from returning to power.” He warned that if the SP rejects the offer and later complains of being sidelined, it would be “crying foul” while calling AIMIM the “B‑team”.

The spokesperson also jabbed at both the SP and the BJP, accusing them of turning politics into a reality‑show. “Yogi chants ‘Jai Shri Ram’, Akhilesh chants ‘Jai Parshuram’ – it’s a match‑fixing act, not governance,” he quipped, pointing out how each side seems more interested in temple‑building theatrics than addressing real issues like the stalled Agra‑Lucknow Expressway probe.

Turning to national policies, Chouhan echoed former Vice‑President Hamid Ansari’s concerns, labeling the government’s recent moves – from the so‑called “Operation Masjid” to the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) debate – as systematic attempts to marginalise Muslims. He argued that the UCC breaches Articles 14, 25, 26 and 29 of the Constitution and is really a push to impose Hindu civil law on non‑Hindus.

In a brief aside about student politics, Chouhan congratulated the winners of the recent Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections, urging them to focus on genuine student grievances instead of partisan bickering. He also critiqued the Congress‑linked NSUI for failing to connect with Gen‑Z, while noting that the ABVP’s grassroots network had paid off.

Whether his overture will find a receptive ear in Lucknow remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that AIMIM wants a seat at the table now – not after an electoral loss, when it could be easy to blame the “B‑team”.