On Tuesday, Akhilesh Yadav, the president of the Samajwadi Party, drew a parallel between the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) actions and a historical incident involving Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. He remarked that the BJP’s decision to cleanse the chief minister’s residence in Lucknow with Gangajal after he vacated it in March 2017 resembles the humiliation faced by Ambedkar at Chavdar Lake in Maharashtra, where he was attacked by feudal elements for attempting to drink water.

In a message directed at the Pichhde, Dalits, and minorities (PDA) community, coinciding with Ambedkar’s birth anniversary, Yadav emphasized the widely recognized event at Chavdar Lake. He recounted how Ambedkar and his followers were subjected to violence by feudal oppressors for drinking from a water source typically used by the livestock of the privileged class. “On March 20, 1927, Baba Saheb faced this disgraceful treatment,” he stated.

Yadav continued, “Exactly 90 years later, on March 20, 2017, I experienced a similar affront. Upon vacating the chief minister’s residence, the BJP opted to wash the premises with Gangajal, as a member of the PDA community had resided there.” He asserted that the feudal mentality that led to Ambedkar’s degradation remains unchanged, despite the passage of time.

The BJP seized control of the Uttar Pradesh government in March 2017, defeating the Samajwadi Party in the electoral contest.