Senior party sources said that the RLD will continue to stick to its “secular character” and take an “independent” stand on socio-political issues if the need arises. 
| Photo Credit: ANI

The farmers of western Uttar Pradesh, who latch on to every social media post of Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary, queried the chatbot Grok on Thursday (March 27, 2025) morning to understand the dystopian literary context of his cryptic post on policing in Uttar Pradesh.

Responding to a news story in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s mouthpiece Organiser — ‘Meerut police to take legal action and cancel passports of those who offer Eid-ul-Fitr namaz on roads’ — Mr. Chaudhary described the move as “policing towards Orwellian 1984!” in an X post.

1984, a novel by English author George Orwell, is a classic cautionary tale, warning of the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance and societal repression.

‘Inappropriate communication’

Outlining the extensive security measures being taken ahead of Eid this year — including drone cameras — Superintendent of Police Ayush Vikram Singh had said: “We will not allow prayers on the streets this year. Anyone who attempts to do so will be booked and will face the cancellation of their arms license and passport.”

In a text message to The Hindu, Mr. Chaudhary said that people should celebrate the festival with joy and peace, but not create obstruction for anyone. “But the way the police officer is communicating that we will take away passports is inappropriate. He should have constructive dialogue with community leaders and involve them in such announcements sensitively,” the RLD chief said.

‘Language that can instigate’

The RLD’s Baghpat MP Raj Kumar Sangwan pointed out that the Eid prayer is completed in a matter of a few hours. “During the Kanwar yatra, the traffic remains diverted for days,” he said.

The ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, he said, believed that no celebration of faith would have a spiritual benefit if it came at the cost of discomforting others, but there is a way to communicate this with the public. Referring to Meerut and Sambhal, where the police have even restricted people from offering prayers on the roofs of their own houses, Mr. Sangwan said: “These days, some over-enthusiastic police officials are crossing the line by using a language that can either instigate or hurt feelings.”

Independent, secular character

Mr. Chaudhary’s post follows his critical comment on BJP MLA Ketaki Singh’s alleged statement seeking a separate wing for Muslim patients in an upcoming government hospital in Ballia for the safety of Hindu patients. The RLD chief had reacted by posting in Hindustani, “Mohatarma, ilaj ki zaroorat toh hai,” suggesting that the MLA needed treatment.

Senior party sources said that the RLD will continue to stick to its “secular character” and take an “independent” stand on socio-political issues if the need arises. They highlighted Mr. Chaudhary’s statement during the Kanwar Yatra saying that the U.P. government order asking eatery owners to put up nameplates on their establishments had not been thought through properly, and was impractical.

Political observers indicate that with two Muslim MLAs and a traditionally Jat-Muslim farmer vote bank, the RLD cannot afford to ignore its social base, just because it is currently in alliance with the BJP. Recently, Mr. Chaudhary unveiled a statue of Chaudhary Charan Singh in the Jaula village of Muzaffarnagar. The village is synonymous with the late Ghulam Mohammad Jaula, one of the tallest farmer leaders of the region, who fought for farmers’ rights with Mahendra Singh Tikait under the umbrella of the Bharatiya Kisan Union.