Akhilesh Yadav attacks BJP, says 'money is their religion'
Synopsis
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav attacked the BJP on 18 July 2026, posting in Hindi that 'money is BJP's religion' and accusing the party of disloyalty even to its own children — sharpening the SP's value-based offensive ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
Key Takeaways
Akhilesh Yadav posted a Hindi attack on the BJP on 18 July 2026 , calling 'money' the party's only religion.
He accused BJP members of not being loyal even to their own children, framing the critique in moral and familial terms.
The post included a video and was made on X, amplifying its reach to the SP's digital base.
The attack fits a long-running Samajwadi Party pattern of contrasting socialist, welfarist values against perceived BJP materialism since 2014 .
With the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections on the horizon, the post signals an early escalation of value-based political campaigning in the state.
A BJP rebuttal is anticipated, with both parties likely to sharpen their ideological positioning in the months ahead.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday, 18 July 2026, accusing it of placing wealth above family, faith, and humanity in a post shared on X.
Context
Posting in Hindi, Akhilesh Yadav wrote: 'Bhajpawale apne bachchon ke hi sage nahin, to unke liye kya Bhagwan aur kya insaan. 'Dhan' hi BJP ka dharm hai.' Translated, the statement reads: 'BJP people are not even loyal to their own children, so for them what is God and what is man. 'Money' is BJP's religion.'
The post, which carried a video, was framed as a moral indictment of the ruling party's values rather than an attack on any single policy or individual. Yadav used the word 'dharm' (religion or duty) deliberately to contrast BJP's perceived materialism against spiritual and familial obligations.
Policy Backdrop
The Samajwadi Party, founded in 1992 on a socialist platform, has long positioned itself as a defender of welfarist and community-centred governance in Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh Yadav led the SP government in the state from 2012 to 2017, before the BJP swept to power under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the 2017 assembly elections.
The BJP retained Uttar Pradesh in the 2022 assembly polls, deepening the ideological rivalry between the two parties. Since 2014 at the national level, the SP has repeatedly accused the BJP of prioritising corporate and economic interests over social welfare — a line of attack that Yadav's 18 July post reinforces.
Stakeholders and Impact
The remark is directed at Uttar Pradesh's vast electorate — India's most populous state with over 24 crore registered voters — where the SP and BJP are the two dominant forces. The language of family loyalty and faith is calibrated to resonate with voters for whom these values carry deep social weight.
Opposition parties aligned with the SP in the INDIA bloc are likely to echo similar themes as electoral mobilisation intensifies. The BJP is expected to issue a rebuttal in the coming days, given the pointed moral framing of the attack.
What's Next
With the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections approaching, both parties are expected to sharpen their ideological contrasts. Akhilesh Yadav has consistently used social media to set the opposition's narrative agenda in the state, and this post signals an early phase of value-based campaigning that is likely to intensify through the election cycle. A BJP counter-response and possible SP follow-up events or rallies will be closely watched as indicators of how this line of attack develops.
Point of View
He attempts to occupy the moral high ground that the BJP itself often claims through cultural nationalism. This kind of attack is designed less to rebut a specific policy and more to erode the BJP's broader social legitimacy among voters in Uttar Pradesh ahead of 2027. The consistency of this framing across years of SP messaging suggests it is a deliberate long-term electoral strategy, not a one-off rhetorical flourish.
NationPress
18 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Akhilesh Yadav say about BJP on 18 July 2026?
Akhilesh Yadav posted in Hindi that 'money is BJP's religion' and accused the party of not being loyal even to its own children, framing the attack in moral and familial terms.
Why is Akhilesh Yadav attacking the BJP now?
The attack is consistent with the Samajwadi Party's long-running opposition rhetoric against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, and is seen as early positioning ahead of the 2027 state assembly elections.
What does 'dhan hi BJP ka dharm hai' mean?
The Hindi phrase translates to 'money is BJP's religion' — Akhilesh Yadav used it to accuse the BJP of prioritising wealth over spiritual duty, family, and humanity.
What is the Samajwadi Party's main criticism of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh?
The Samajwadi Party has repeatedly accused the BJP of favouring corporate and economic interests over social welfare and community values, a critique Akhilesh Yadav has voiced since the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2017.
When are the next Uttar Pradesh assembly elections?
The next Uttar Pradesh assembly elections are scheduled for 2027, and both the SP and BJP are expected to intensify their political campaigns and ideological contrasts in the lead-up to the polls.
