'Agar aap le aayenge...': Akhilesh on Akash Anand's possible entry into SP

Lucknow: SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday hinted at the possibility of opening his party's doors to Akash Anand, saying, If you bring him, we will take him, hours after BSP chief Mayawati declared her nephew completely freed from her party.Asked at a press conference whether he would induct Anand into the Samajwadi Party (SP) if the young BSP leader wanted to join, Yadav said to the reporter in jest, If you bring him, we will take him (Agar aap le aayenge, hum le lenge).

Yadav, however, maintained that Anand's removal from the BSP was an internal matter and said leaders of other parties should not comment on it. It is a decision of their party. People from other parties cannot say anything about it, he said when asked about Mayawati's decision.The BSP chief on Thursday announced that Anand had been completely freed from the party, shortly after his father-in-law and former Rajya Sabha member Ashok Siddharth announced his retirement from politics.The BSP chief said Anand appeared to be double-minded and questioned whether he could effectively work for the party when his personal and family interests seemed to take precedence over his political career and the Bahujan movement.She also cited Anand's failure to repost an earlier social media post by her as an indication that he was more attached to family ties than the BSP and its movement.Anand had already been relieved of all important organisational responsibilities, including that of national coordinator, on September 3.

The latest development marks a sharp turn in the political journey of Anand, 31, whom Mayawati had once projected as her political successor.The latest rupture also comes against the backdrop of Anand's earlier public attacks on Yadav.Addressing a BSP public meeting in Hathras last month, Anand had taken a sharp dig at Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, referring to his age and political standing.He had said he was 30 and Yadav was 50, asking, in effect, how else he could address Yadav if not as uncle .

Asked on Thursday about Anand having referred to him as uncle in his political remarks, Yadav said the Hindi equivalent of the word could have several meanings, including chacha , mausa or phupha , and then quipped that he was surprised that no one asked him a question about phupha . His comment follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent reference to a naraz phupha (an upset paternal uncle), which had spawned social media memes portraying senior political figures as disgruntled relatives at family functions.

Or I was expecting questions on 'phooka', Yadav said, in a veiled jibe at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.Anand's Hathras remarks came at a time when political parties were increasingly seeking to connect with younger voters amid the growing influence of Gen Z-led youth movements.The BSP, under Mayawati, had stepped up its outreach to young voters through Anand, while Mayawati herself has on several occasions referred to Gen Z and Gen Alpha in her political messaging recentlyPolitical observers have viewed the references as part of the BSP's effort to broaden its appeal among younger generations.