Swaraj Party leader and political activist Yogendra Yadav was attacked by a mob in Maharastra's Akola on Monday. Yogendra Yadav claimed that a mob of 40-50 people stormed the stage to prevent him from speaking. Though the police arrived shortly after, the event was cut short.
In a video posted on X, Yogendra Yadav called the attack on him and his colleagues of Bharat Jodo Abhiyan a "grave concern for democracy lovers." He explained that the group was discussing "Protection of Constitution and our vote" when the mob climbed the stage.
“Despite police intervention, the attackers continued their vandalism, and the event had to be called off,” Yadav added in Hindi.
He expressed his dismay, saying, “In 25 years of speaking across Maharashtra, I’ve never faced such an incident. This is sad for democracy, but it only strengthens our resolve.”
Yogendra Yadav, leader of the Swaraj Party, claimed he was attacked by a mob associated with the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA).
Speaking to reporters, Yadav recounted the events, stating, “I do not know anyone, but local colleagues have taken 24 names. They are people of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi. One of our colleagues asked why did you people do this? Then a man said it was the order of the 'sahab'. I do not know who the 'sahab' is.”
Yadav expressed his astonishment at the attack, saying, “If the people of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi have done this then I am very surprised. Yogendra Yadav is a very small man; you have not attacked him, you have attacked the constitution of Baba Saheb, you have attacked the democracy which you keep on talking about day and night, and you have shamed your leader Prakash Ambedkar.”
He added, “There is no doubt that Prakash Ambedkar's line of thinking and ours are different, but such an attack would be carried out due to differences of opinion; it is beyond my imagination. I at least do not consider Prakash Ambedkar to be a person who can carry out such an act.”
In response, supporters of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi reportedly disrupted the event, expressing dissatisfaction with comments made about Bhimrao Ambedkar and reservation policies.
A post from VBA claimed the crowd had posed challenging questions to Yadav and activist Ulka Mahajan regarding Congress's alleged anti-reservation actions following elections, despite receiving support from marginalised communities.
Prabuddh Bharat, a newspaper linked to VBA, stated, “Congress took the votes of Buddhists, Dalits, Tribals, Muslims, OBCs to defeat BJP, but Congress is doing the work of BJP. Unable to give a proper answer to any of these questions, the people of Maharashtra Democratic Front and Bharat Jodi Abhiyan tried to silence the people asking the questions. However, Yogendra Yadav and Ulka Mahajan withdrew from the program as they did not have an answer to any question.”
