politics states
Akhilesh too continued to call them the same even during the
cabinet meeting as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.
But, Bairam Khans rarely last in politics once the young ruler
grows in age, stature and experience; once they start yearning
for independence and greater control. On Thursday, as Akhilesh
launched his rath yatra from Lucknow, it became evident that
he had got rid of his Bairam Khan to emerge as the undisputed
leader of the Samajwadi Party and undisputed heir to his father’s
legacy.
The signs of his complete dominance were evident. Setting
aside the recent acrimony within the family, father Mulayam
Singh smiled beatifically as the son announced his plans to
vanquish the BJP and return to power. Chacha Shivpal, who, till
a few days ago, was vying with Akhilesh to control the party and
the government stood alongside, telling workers to unite behind
the chief minister. On the stage was a bevy of youth leaders who
had been sacked by Shivpal a fortnight ago. And his pet peeve,
the perceived villain of the political soap opera Amar Singh was
nowhere in sight.
It is obvious that the family has resigned to the fait accompli
of Akhilesh Yadav being the face and future of the Samajwadi
Parivar. And Shivpal — who once led the regents of young
Akhilesh cabinet — will henceforth walk under Akhilesh’s flag
for some time and, when the time is right, like Bairam Khan, be
sent on a pilgrimage.
The denouement is on expected lines. Such are the
established ethos of Indian society that a father rarely passes on
his inheritance to a brother if he has an eligible son. If Shivpal
was expecting Mulayam to banish Akhilesh, he was ignoring
hundreds of years of traditional wisdom. In this whole slugfest,
Shivpal should have toed his professor cousin Ramgopal Yadav
— who remained rock solid behind Akhilesh Yadav even when
he was in SP and when he is not in the party — rather sacking
him from the party.
Shivpal’s other problem, to use a dart Mulayam threw at
Akhilesh during the public brawl at the party’s silver jubilee
celebrations, was that he had no political haisiyat (standing).
Shivpal was reminded of his lack of stature several times
over the past few days when his efforts to reach out to the
Congress, Nitish Kumar and other anti-BJP parties were cruelly
snubbed. Shivpal’s failure to get even a single party to ally with
the divided Samajwadis must have reminded Mulayam of the
futility of stoking the ambitions of his brother. In contrast,
Akhilesh managed a heavy hand behind him when Congress vice
president Rahul Gandhi send Prashant Kishor to meet Mulayam
Singh Yadav with a message that Congress may think of an
alliance with SP provided the socialite announces Akhilesh as
their CM face — an alliance which even Amar Singh failed to win
for the party in 2004 Lok Sabha polls, a time when his voice had
become synonymous with Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The successful launch of Akhilesh rath yatra is definitely
the end of Shivpal’s dream of ruling Uttar Pradesh. He may
henceforth sulk and rebel, but will find himself tethered to
Akhilesh’s destiny, unless, of course, he decides to do a Ramkripal
and join the BJP or some other party.
Ironically, the unified Yadav parivar would be a source of
Like the Mughal emperor, Akhilesh whose pet
name is Teepu became a ruler at a young age,
though in more fortuitous circumstances. And, like
Akbar, during the early years of his government,
Teepu too was dominated by his powerful regents
— whom he used to call uncle from his childhood
and like Akbar, Akhilesh too continued to call them
the same even during the cabinet meeting as chief
minister of Uttar Pradesh
relief for the very party they have vowed to defeat in the next
election--the BJP. Shivpal and Mulayam’s apparent surrender
has ensured that the Samajwadi Party will not split before the
elections. It will remain a viable political force and ensure that
elections become a triangular fight, a scenario that suits the
BJP.
However, from the Samajwadi Party perspective, this slugfest
has helped the ruling party a lot. It has changed the agenda
of the fast approaching state assembly elections as nobody is
talking about the anti-incumbency that could have gone against
the SP. The nephew-uncle scabbard helped Akhilesh to polish
his image as progressive youth leader who is non-compromising
when it comes to corruption and development. By raising his
voice against leaders like Ansari brothers and Amar Singh in
the party Akhilesh has successfully scaled his popularity graph
among the youth — a sizable voter who has shown signs of
voting pattern beyond the caste and creed in 2014 Lok Sabha
polls that helped Modi give unexpected success to the BJP. Some
recent surveys also indicted the same about the outcome of the
Akhilesh-Shivpal slugfest. So, in the end we can say that the SP
will not split. But the anti-BJP vote will.
That’s where the similarities with Akbar may end for Akhilesh.
Like Bairam Khan, he too may be forced to proceed on a political
hajj for a few years.
Feedback on:[email protected]
November 16-30, 2016 The Dayafter
33