Archive · 17 Aug 2026
Akhilesh Yadav's chavanni remark angers former ally RLD
A big political argument is happening in a state in India called Uttar Pradesh.
A leader named Akhilesh Yadav said that his party made something small and cheap into something valuable, but some friends still left them.
He used the word 'chavanni,' which is a very small coin worth 25 paise.
Another leader, Jayant Chaudhary, used to be his friend but later joined a different team.
Jayant Chaudhary's party, the RLD, felt that Akhilesh was calling them small and cheap.
They said the words were an insult to their leaders and to farmers.
This argument is happening because elections are coming next year.
Both parties want to win more seats and make good alliances.
The RLD says it will answer the 'insult' in the elections.
People are watching to see how this fight affects the upcoming vote.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said his party turned '25 paise into a rupee' yet allies still left, a remark seen as targeting the RLD.
The Rashtriya Lok Dal read the 'chavanni' (25 paise) reference as a jab at Jayant Chaudhary, who left the SP alliance to join the BJP-led NDA before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The word revived Chaudhary's own 2022 remark: 'Main koi chavanni hoon jo palat jaunga' (I am not as light as a 25 paise coin that will flip).
RLD leaders called the statement an insult to Jayant Chaudhary, Chaudhary Ajit Singh, and the farmer legacy of Chaudhary Charan Singh.
The controversy comes as parties prepare for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with the RLD seeking more seats within the NDA.
- Who
- Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary
- What
- A political controversy over Akhilesh Yadav's 'chavanni' (25 paise) remark, which the RLD read as an insult to its leadership and farmer legacy.
- When
- Ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections; the remark was made as parties begin preparations.
- Where
- Uttar Pradesh, India
- Why
- The RLD saw the remark as a jab at Jayant Chaudhary for leaving the SP alliance to join the BJP-led NDA before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Samajwadi Party's stance
RLD's stance
Meaning of the 'chavanni' remark
Samajwadi Party's stance
SP says the remark reflects that parties that benefited from its alliance later abandoned it, and that the party now trusts people over smaller parties.
RLD's stance
RLD says the remark is a disrespectful jab at Jayant Chaudhary and an insult to Chaudhary Ajit Singh, Chaudhary Charan Singh's ideology, and the farming community.
Alliance politics in Uttar Pradesh
Samajwadi Party's stance
SP argues it should rely on its PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) social coalition and voters rather than smaller parties that may change alliances.
RLD's stance
RLD warns that the Samyukta Kisan Samaj will give a democratic response to the 'insult' in the 2027 elections and stresses the Charan Singh family's contribution to SP's political existence.
- Speaker
- Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party chief
- Remark
- "Hum logon ne chavanni ko rupaiya bana diya, phir bhi chhod ke chale gaye" (We turned 25 paise into a rupee, and yet they left us)
- Target
- Rashtriya Lok Dal and its chief Jayant Chaudhary
- Context
- Preparations for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections
- RLD 2022 Assembly performance
- Won 8 of 33 seats contested as an SP ally
- RLD 2024 Lok Sabha performance
- Won both seats contested in the BJP-led NDA
- SP-Congress 2024 performance
- Won 43 of 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh
- RLD 2017 Assembly performance
- Won 1 of 277 seats contested