Akhilesh Yadav a 'BJP agent', says UP cleric over seat-sharing jibe
Synopsis
A senior Muslim cleric has turned on Akhilesh Yadav — not from the BJP side, but from within the opposition's own support base. By labelling the SP chief a 'BJP agent' and questioning his Parliament record on Muslim issues, AIMJ's Maulana Shahabuddin has exposed a credibility fault line that could matter far more than any seat-sharing arithmetic ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls.
Key Takeaways
AIMJ President Maulana Mufti Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi called SP chief Akhilesh Yadav a 'BJP agent' on Wednesday .
The cleric was responding to Yadav's X post alleging a BJP alliance seat-sharing plan: RLD — 73 , SBSP — 39 , Nishad Party — 31 , Apna Dal — 19 seats.
Maulana Shahabuddin accused Yadav of speaking on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 for only 2.5 minutes and ignoring student welfare in Parliament.
On ED raids at Azam Khan -linked locations, the cleric urged the public to view the action as purely legal, not communal.
The row signals growing friction within the opposition's traditional support base ahead of the next Uttar Pradesh state elections.
All India Muslim Jamaat (AIMJ) President Maulana Mufti Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi on Wednesday branded Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav a 'BJP agent', hitting back at the opposition leader for what he described as mockery of the ruling alliance's seat-sharing arrangement in Uttar Pradesh. The cleric's remarks came in direct response to a post Yadav shared on X, in which the SP chief laid out an alleged seat distribution plan within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition.
What Akhilesh Yadav Said on X
In his post, Yadav alleged that the BJP, 'facing the prospect of defeat' and under pressure from the PDA coalition, is working on a plan — reportedly shaped by certain election experts — to allocate seats to allied parties 'in order to prevent them from scattering in different directions.' He went on to specify the purported seat counts: Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) — 73 seats, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party — 39 seats, Nishad Party — 31 seats, and Apna Dal — 19 seats.
Yadav further argued that this distribution amounts to 'less than half' in proportion to the PDA's population share, and declared the plan 'bound to fail miserably.'
Cleric's Sharp Rebuke of SP Chief
Maulana Shahabuddin took strong exception to Yadav's framing, arguing that the SP chief had effectively arrogated to himself the role of the BJP alliance's chairman. 'Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav is making a mockery of the BJP alliance's seat-sharing arrangement; he allocated tickets for Anupriya Patel, Jayant Chaudhary, and OP Rajbhar as if he were the chairman of the BJP alliance himself,' the cleric said.
He went further, alleging a pattern of political duplicity: 'I have consistently maintained that Akhilesh Yadav finalises his agenda with the BJP in the darkness of night, only to say something else in the morning.'
Parliament Session and Waqf Bill Criticism
The AIMJ president also took aim at Yadav's performance during the recently concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament, alleging that the SP chief failed to raise student welfare issues. 'People should see that he didn't say anything regarding the welfare of students at the Parliament. He only spoke on the Ram Temple donation theft,' Maulana Shahabuddin said.
He further alleged that when Yadav did speak on the then Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, he addressed the topic for only the first 2.5 minutes, with the remainder of his time spent on what the cleric described as 'unnecessary talks.'
ED Raids on Azam Khan: Cleric Urges Legal View
Asked about Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at locations linked to jailed former Member of Parliament Azam Khan — covering offices, homes, shops, properties, and institutes — Maulana Shahabuddin urged the public not to view the action through a communal lens. 'The government agency must have received specific inputs or discovered irregularities in documents, bank transactions, or audit records; that is why the ED has raided Azam Khan,' he said.
He stressed that ED action is not religion-specific: 'The ED raids the houses of Hindus as well, including corporates, so it should not be seen from that point.' The cleric maintained that the raids constitute legal action and should be assessed solely on that basis.
The exchange underscores the increasingly fractured dynamics of opposition politics in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the next state polls, with intra-community fault lines now as sharp as the BJP-versus-opposition divide.
Point of View
It signals something more significant than a routine political spat: it reflects eroding trust in Akhilesh Yadav among a constituency the SP cannot afford to lose in Uttar Pradesh. The allegations about Yadav's limited engagement on the Waqf Bill and student issues in Parliament, whether entirely fair or not, feed a narrative of performative opposition. For the SP, the greater danger is not the BJP's attack lines but the disillusionment of its own base — and that is precisely what Maulana Shahabuddin's remarks crystallise.
NationPress
20 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did AIMJ chief Maulana Shahabuddin call Akhilesh Yadav a 'BJP agent'?
Maulana Mufti Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi accused Akhilesh Yadav of effectively acting as the BJP alliance's own chairman by publicly detailing the ruling coalition's internal seat-sharing plan in Uttar Pradesh. He alleged that Yadav coordinates his political agenda with the BJP privately and then takes a contrarian public stance.
What did Akhilesh Yadav post on X that triggered the controversy?
Yadav alleged on X that the BJP, facing the prospect of defeat and under pressure from the PDA coalition, is planning to allocate seats to allies — citing RLD (73 seats), SBSP (39), Nishad Party (31), and Apna Dal (19). He argued this was 'less than half' the PDA's population share and predicted the plan would 'fail miserably'.
What criticism did the cleric level at Yadav over Parliament?
Maulana Shahabuddin alleged that during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Yadav did not raise student welfare issues and spoke on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 for only 2.5 minutes, spending the rest of his time on what the cleric called 'unnecessary talks'.
What did the AIMJ chief say about ED raids on Azam Khan?
The cleric said the ED raids on locations linked to jailed former MP Azam Khan — covering offices, homes, properties, and institutes — should be viewed as a legal matter, not a Hindu-Muslim issue. He noted that the ED also raids Hindu businessmen and corporates, and said the agency likely acted on specific documentary or financial irregularities.
What is the PDA coalition that Akhilesh Yadav referenced?
The PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak — meaning backward classes, Dalits, and minorities) is a social coalition framing that the Samajwadi Party has used to consolidate opposition votes in Uttar Pradesh. Yadav has argued that the BJP's seat-sharing offer to allies does not adequately represent PDA's demographic weight in the state.
