PICTURE SPEAK

MAKING A POINT: Mulayam strategises with Amar Singh

Till date, the chief minister's much-hyped populist measures have largely failed to erase from public memory incidents of killings and hooliganism by Samajwadi Party members, fanning the general sentiment that "Mayawati's was many times better than Mulayam's regime". Considering the expectations amid which Mulayam had taken over the reins from Mayawati on August 29, 2003, the current disillusionment would seem quite incredible until one looks at the deterioration in the law and order machinery. The resulting bleak scenario has turned the state into a den for henchmen close to the party rank and file to function with impunity. So, even as the chief minister woos the electorate with unemployment allowance, scholarships and sarees for those below the poverty line, the fact remains that his administration had in the past turned a blind eye to those who had brazenly defied the law of the land.

Indications of the Samajwadi Party's soft stance towards criminals came to light last year. Initial shock at the murder of two MLAs, the BSP's Raju Pal and the BJP's Krishnanand Rai, gave way to outrage after it became apparent that instead of turning the heat on the perpetrators, the Government was making every possible effort to not just shield them but also, in one instance, ensure their smooth entry into the state administration-as in the case of Ashraf Ahmed, brother of Atiq Ahmed, a criminal-turned-MP of the ruling party. Ashraf was given a party ticket to contest byelection from Allahabad West, the seat that had fallen vacant after Pal fell to bullets fired by assailants believed to be owing allegiance to Atiq. Pal was attacked in Allahabad on January 25 last year in full view of a terrified public that dived for cover as the assailants drove up in a jeep and opened fire from AK-47s. Within six months of Pal's murder, the ruling party gave Ashraf its nod and symbol to contest the polls which he won.

CONFUSE TO CONQUER

Last week, leaders of the three-month-old People's Democratic Front (PDF) got a taste of Mulayam Singh Yadav's political guile. Caught off-guard by the abrupt resignation of its chairman, Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, leaders of the umbrella organisation of seven Muslim bodies and minority-oriented political parties were quick to attribute it to manoeuvrings by the chief minister. Jawwad's resignation-ostensibly on the ground of non-cooperation by the ulemas (Islamic scholars and clerics)-had followed "secret" meetings with Mulayam. Fearing a split, the PDF quickly nominated Maulana Mufti Abul Irfan Qadri Firangi Mahali (mufti of Lucknow) as its head. Mulayam, meanwhile, had started visiting Muslim-dominated districts and announced a series of measures for the community's socio-economic development. The PDF had emerged as a political front at the time when Mayawati had stepped up her campaign to woo Brahmins and re-consolidate her Dalit and Muslim support base. Almost simultaneously, the Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmad Bukhari, formed his own United Democratic Front (UDF) and launched a campaign against Mulayam even while lauding the Mayawati-led BSP. The UDF is yet to take off as a political outfit, but the PDF got a boost when the CPI(M-L) and V.P. Singh-Raj Babbar's Jan Morcha started backing it. Perhaps sensing a threat, Mulayam sought to spread confusion by kindling suspicions about Jawwad, thereby penetrating his rival's defences. -By Farzand Ahmed

Mukhtar Ansari is yet another dubious character who inexplicably earned the administration's sympathies. The mafia don-turned-MLA was suspected to be the mastermind behind Rai's murder on November 29, 2005. Perceiving a threat to his life from Ansari, the BJP MLA from Mohammadabad in Ghazipur district had repeatedly petitioned the Government to enhance his security. After he was murdered, Rai's widow Alka, backed by the Opposition, demanded a CBI inquiry. When the Government refused, she approached the high court which gave a verdict in her favour and ordered a CBI inquiry into the incident. In reply, the Mulayam administration filed a review petition in the Supreme Court. In June, the apex court too ordered the state to get Rai's murder probed by the Central investigating agency. The state Government, contend political observers, was quite evidently going out on a limb to shield Ansari.

In 2004, Mulayam himself had drawn flak for lack of decorum when it was widely reported that scantily clad women had entertained guests at a dinner the chief minister had hosted in honour of the visiting former US President Bill Clinton. The September 7 event irrevocably marred Mulayam's socialist image, making him out to be a socialite instead.

This year, too, has been equally disastrous for the ruling party. Commendable efforts by the police in eliminating 200 criminals in encounters, getting rid of dreaded dacoits like Nirbhaya Gujjar and rounding up notorious elements within the Samajwadi Party notwithstanding, the ruling dispensation earned itself a bad name. In May, five party workers tied Rajneesh Sahni, a state police officer, to a jeep before parading him through the streets of Lucknow. In July, a party MLA was accused of attacking Ferozabad Superintendent of Police Amitabh Thakur. Besides, there are innumerable instances of party activists raiding police stations and setting accomplices free.

While one may blame Mulayam for letting matters slid downhill, there is no denying that he had started on a strong footing. Soon after taking charge, he conducted a recce of the state and promptly dismissed ineffective officials. He also placed the key Public Works Department portfolio in charge of his younger brother, Shivpal Yadav, who set a record of sorts by completing a total of 361 roads and bridges, both big and small. The success, however, did not find a reflection in the power sector and also on the industrial development front. While the ambitious 8,000 MW Dadri gas-based power project of Reliance Energy ran into rough weather, the Uttar Pradesh Development Council headed by Amar Singh remained a cosmetic effort despite claims of having attracted investment proposals to the tune of Rs 72,000 crore in its drive for an "Uttam Pradesh".

Cut to the present, the only area the chief minister seems to be scoring brownie points is in ensuring the Opposition stays divided and sufficiently pacified to not pose any serious threat to his Government. Senior leaders of the BJP, the main Opposition party, have been kept happy with spacious bungalows and cushioned against investigations. But murmurings of discontentment can be heard from coalition partner Ajit Singh of the Rashtriya Lok Dal. "If the Government is celebrating completion of the third year in power with posters carrying photographs of Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh, where is my party?" he complains.

Undaunted, the doughty wrestler from Etawah is hoping to turn the tide in his favour. If he succeeds, it would be a miracle indeed.

Index