Mulayam Singh Yadav: A Tribute To Dharti Putra

“Yadav Ji, how has Mulayam Singh Yadav changed your life?” This was the pertinent question I asked an elderly Yadav on the sidelines of a rally during 2012 assembly polls in Mainpuri. The person feigned ignorance leading me to pester him, again, “Yadav Ji, Yadav Ji, Neta ji ne aapko kya diya (Yadavji, what did you get from Netaji)?”

“Yadav Ji, samajh gaye kya diya (I know what he gave us),” was his curt reply.

The answer was clear. Perhaps, he has seen the phases of life, from Ahir to Yadav and now Yadav Ji.  It is not that Mulayam was the only Yadav leader in Uttar Pradesh. In fact, when he first assumed charge as a minister, Chief Minister Ram Naresh Yadav was a reigning Yadav stalwart from Azamgarh, while Chandrajeet Yadav, a former MP was another satrap. Amidst this, since 1967 when Mulayam contested his first assembly election from Jaswantnagar seat, he earned the support of the community, a quality that other leaders lacked.

The elderly Yadav was right. Mulayam ushered a change in social fabric. A change which became so visible that lately there have been voices for implementing the quota within quota for reservation in Other Backward Classes (OBCs). The hidden perception is that some dominant castes have reaped reservation benefits.

In Hindi heartland, as a leader gains popularity, he becomes part of folklore. Anecdotes, incidents and tidbits about the leader are shared. Mulayam tops the list among such leaders. Such was his popularity that anyone grazing cattle in a village whenever saw a chopper flying would say, “Neta ji ja rahe hain (Netaji is coming).” This was when he was chief minister or not and whether he was flying in a chopper or something else.

Besides the fables, some distinctive characteristics bolstered Mulayam’s rise. Some traits, which were typical of Mulayam, are now being emulated. I was witness to several of his public meetings and personal interactions and know Mulayam had good memory. He remembered names of thousands of his workers. It may sound exaggerated, but Mulayam often used to address workers by their names even during large public gatherings.

A veteran who believed in old school of politics, Mulayam never relied on messages or emails. However, it is told that he used to have a landline telephone connection in his room and would call any worker across the state. He would personally ask his staff to dial the number of a worker of a particular district. Mulayam would then take stock of the situation from that particular person who, needless to say, was at times a simple worker and who did not hold any party post. Armed with all the developments, it was hard for any local satrap to cross the limits.

Mulayam knew it very well that workers form the backbone of any party. He ensured that he was at least present during marriage ceremony or demise of any family member for his worker. Even if he visited the district after three months, he used to make a visit to the worker’s home.

He also wrote letters to his workers and party colleagues. This worked as a catalyst whenever a party worker received a letter from him. The next morning he would paint the town red with this achievement. During meetings also, Mulayam would often remark, “Mujhe chiththi likh diya karo (Write me letters).”

In politics, every decision counts. Mulayam knew this and he was very sharp in decision-making. Be it the SP–BSP coalition in 1993 polls, gauging the caste equations in Uttar Pradesh, promoting leaders from particular castes and making a satrap out of Phoolan Devi, who was given ticket to become a member of Parliament. He knew that for the formation of government, numbers mattered and he did not hesitate to even give tickets to musclemen and even stood by them.

Was Mulayam only for Yadavs?

Mulayam knew that he drew support from Yadavs and the Muslim community, but the Samajwadi Party (SP) during his era boasted of leaders like Janeshwar Mishra, Beni Prasad Verma, Naresh Agarwal, Amar Singh and Azam Khan, among others, who had enough clout, even more than several Yadav leaders of the party.

Besides the electoral arithmetic, Mulayam very well knew that government can function within a setup and for this he did not hesitate to trust officials. Some decisions like not implementing VAT, carving out a post of ADG in police and other populist schemes like Kanya Vidya Dhan, Berozgari Bhatta and scrapping octroi truly reflect that he knew the pulse of governance. Mulayam very well realised the importance of the public. His statement during a rally at Nidauli Kala, “Jab tak ham Lucknow pahunche, tab tak yahan par logon ke ghar mein nal mein paani aa jaye (Till I reach Lucknow, all households here should have tap water in their houses) or another at Azamgarh rally, “Lijiye commissioner ko bhi le aaye, aaj se Azamgarh commissionary hai (See, I have brought along the commissioner. He is the new commissioner of Azamgarh from now onwards)”, show his commitment to the people.

It was this uncanny ability of Mulayam to stitch together an alliance across a section of leaders and even political parties. Leave aside his party workers or leaders, Mulayam had cordial relations cutting across party lines. Many opposition leaders often found themselves at ease with Mulayam instead of their party leaders. This helped him run the coalition government smoothly. Mulayam too understood it and always presented his outfit SP in a more national outlook by holding party rallies, conferences and conventions in other states. Party songs written by Uday Pratap Singh, Mann Se Hain Mulayam, Irade Loha Hai (Though soft at his heart, his convictions are no less of blue steel), became the theme for the party.

Condolences poured as soon as the news about his demise was aired. At Lucknow, every journalist had a story to share, about their association with Mulayam and some personal experiences.

The slogan “Jiska Jalwa Qayam Hai, Uska Naam Mulayam hai (The one who is a show stopper is none other than Mulayam)” will reverberate at least in Hindi hinterland for a long time to come.

(This appeared in the print edition as "Son of the Soil")