A Different Kind Of Statecraft

AS hectic bargaining continued, the big question on Saturday was: will Mulayam Singh Yadav ultimately back Congress? The Samajvadi Party chieftain might offer support on a variety of issues, but he’s his own man when it comes to UP. Not so long ago, Mulayam could be heard repeatedly berating the Congress for not showing enough enthusiasm in the cause of bringing down the "communal and fascist" BJP government . But when the Congress finally made its move, the powerful Yadav chieftain had other reasons to be disturbed—Salman Khursheed was making a mark in UP and there was talk of the Muslim vote going the Congress way. In 1989, the Muslim vote bank post-Babri Masjid and Shah Bano had moved away from Congress. In the decade since, Mulayam has assidously cultivated the minorities.

Unsurprisingly, Mulayam’s line of attack has changed in the last few months: BJP and Congress are both enemies, to be kept at arms’ length. Denouncing the Congress’ "pseudo-secularism", party general secretary Amar Singh raked up its complicity in the demolition of the Babri Masjid. "Recently, they have said that Hindutva is the only guarantee of secularism in the country. How can we support them?" he asked. But after declining to back Congress on April 23, Amar Singh said on April 24 that the decision was not irrevocable. Asked whether the SP could extend issue-based support to the Congress after the hard language used just a day before, Amar Singh said: "We will see. Consultations among party leaders are still on." Senior Congress leaders say Mulayam wanted some assurances from them: ask Salman Khursheed to easen the anti-SP rhetoric in UP; ensure that the Congress has no truck with Mayawati and change UP governor Suraj Bhan, a BJP appointee.

On April 20, Mulayam took time out to meet district-level party representatives in UP, regarding feedback on the possible electoral impact of the SP’s support to a Congress government led by Sonia Gandhi. Party sources say they convinced him that the impact would be negative. Though Mulayam’s tough stance created a schism in the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha (RLM), the prospect of being "isolated" has not bothered the SP. Observers say that while Mulayam is uncomfortable with the Congress, he has singlehand-edly built the organisation in UP and is on a strong wicket.