Jayant Chaudhary breaks with India Group, joins NDA

Keynes (Part 1):

Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary today used a chess metaphor to take a dig at former ally Akhilesh Yadav, saying “They gave us the queen and Wanted to kill the king.” Mr Chaudhry, who last month switched to the NDA from the opposition India Bloc, campaigned for the BJP candidate and sitting MP Pradeep Chaudhry in Kairana Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh Canvassing votes.

Addressing a rally, he said: “You know me well. Even before I utter these words, you understand my gestures. Public and political life should have a strategy. This is the job of leaders.”

“You must be playing chess. There is a move in chess where the opponent shows his weakness and then checkmates you. The side we were on wanted to do something similar. They offered us the queen and wanted to kill the king,” he smiled said. “We have no regrets. They have a responsibility to their party. I have a responsibility to my people.”

Mr Chaudhry also rebutted Mr Yadav’s recent jibe that seven seats were more than two – constituencies in which the RLD was contesting as part of a seat-sharing deal with the BJP; Chaudhry reportedly said Sir won seven seats in the Indian Union. “Don’t explain the math of six or seven to us,” he said, referring to the Hindi idiom “ek aur ek gyarah,” which means strength lies in unity.

Mr. Chaudhry said that the BJP government at the Center and the Uttar Pradesh government are working tirelessly for farmers and poor people and all sections of society are benefiting from it. “Every RLD leader will work to ensure that the BJP candidate wins,” he said.

Mr. Chaudhry’s RLD has considerable influence in the Jat community, which can influence the poll results in many western UP seats. With an eye on this key voter base, the BJP has taken several initiatives to reach out to the community ahead of the elections. The Bharat Ratna announced for former Prime Minister Chaudhry Charan Singh (Jat leader and grandfather of Jayant Chaudhry) was another key move. “Dil jeet liya,” Mr Chaudhry said shortly after the news was announced.

Since then, the two former allies have turned on each other. Earlier, Mr Yadav referred to Mr Chaudhry’s old saying, “Am I going to be like this?” Mr Yadav said implicitly: “The Prime Minister may ask who this Chavani is. ” Responding to the barb, Mr Chaudhry used a wrestling analogy to say that instead of turning around, he knocked down his opponent. “He (Akhilesh) knows a little bit about wrestling. I know a little bit too,” he said.