Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘difficult times’ swipe at Congress amid Tamil Nadu drama

In an apparent dig at the Congress and what will likely impact the equations between the Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance ahead of next year’s elections in Uttar Pradesh, former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said he is not someone who abandons his allies in difficult times.
In a post on X, along with pictures of him with DMK president MK Stalin and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh wrote: “We are not the ones who abandon each other in times of difficulty.”
The message seemed like a dig at the Congress, which broke its alliance with the DMK and joined ranks with actor-politician Vijay’s TVK, which has posted a stellar win in its poll debut in Tamil Nadu. TVK is now trying to cobble up enough MLAs to reach the majority mark. A section of DMK leaders has slammed the Congress for switching alliances after the poll result.
Akhilesh Yadav’s social media post followed his visit to Kolkata, where he met Mamata Banerjee and expressed his solidarity. Mamata has refused to accept the West Bengal election results, which gave a clear victory to the BJP, and alleged electoral malpractices.
Leaders of the Samajwadi Party have defended Akhilesh Yadav’s post, saying the Congress has not led the INDIA bloc the way it should and has ditched DMK, its longstanding ally in Tamil Nadu. “It is clear that the Congress is only looking at power, and has ditched DMK. This is not responsible politics,” said a senior Lok Sabha MP from the Samajwadi Party.
Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh have hit back. “Who is on the streets? When was the last time the Samajwadi Party went to defend the people? In Kushinagar, a mosque was demolished and a Nagar Palika chairman of the Samajwadi Party passed the order. What did the SP do? Nothing. Only posting on social media is not enough for politics,” said a Congress leader from eastern Uttar Pradesh.

The 2027 UP Challenge

The allies are headed for a tough negotiation ahead of the 2027 Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. While the top leaders of the two parties project good relations, their state units have been locked in spats on several occasions.
The run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, when the Congress contested 17 seats and 53 were fought by the Samajwadi Party, saw a huge tussle between the two parties over seat-sharing.
Speaking to The Indian Express Friday morning, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai refused to make a direct comment on Akhilesh Yadav’s remarks, but said “it is the time to fight”. “It is time to fight the BJP, and we are doing it. Rahul Gandhi has been fighting the BJP on all levels and we will continue to do that. I don’t want to comment on any leader’s post,” said Rai.
With the RJD (Bihar), the DMK (Tamil Nadu) and the TMC (West Bengal) losing state polls to the BJP or its allies, all eyes are on the Uttar Pradesh election and the Samajwadi Party.
Akhilesh Yadav’s social media post can also be seen against the backdrop of the tussle within the INDIA opposition bloc, which has been largely dormant since the 2024 Lok Sabha election and has suffered big setbacks in Assembly polls over the past couple of years.