Mayawati Meets Mulayams Emissary

The two old adversaries Bahujan Samajwadi Partys Mayawati and Samajwadi Partys Mulayam Singh Yadav have opened up channels of communication.

Mayawati, who has been in Delhi for the last two days is having discussions with Mulayam Singh Yadavs emissary and Samajwadi Party general secretary K C Tyagi.

This comes in the background of both the SP and the BSP receiving a drubbing at the hands of the BJP and its allies in the Vidhan Parishad elections. For Yadav, the stakes are higher as he wants to finish the Janata Dal in Uttar Pradesh and his discussions with the Congress in the state seem to be going nowhere.

 

Yadav told journalists in Lucknow yesterday that the Congress has no need for people like him as they were after the Gandhi-Nehru family only. After Sonias arrival, the Congress demands and expectations have increased. Yadav was prepared to give only 15 seats to the Congress against the latters demand of 40, which was unacceptable to Yadav.

Yadav has a old habit of devouring his friends first and from his actions it is clear that he wants to finish off the JD and gain the votes of the backward castes and the Muslims. Therefore, he is no more comfortable with the UF in the state or even elsewhere. He may well be planning to leave the UF, observers feel.

He has already aligned with the Congress in Maharashtra and he has no use for UF in Uttar Pradesh.

Most observers rule out any alliance, but nevertheless, these parleys are being watched very carefully since this is a sure recipe through which both the parties can increase their presence in the Lok Sabha. Yadav could even try to take advantage of the alliance to make a bid for the prime ministership.

In his Lakhimpur address, he harped on this aspect going to the extent of calling the UF leaders liars.

Thus, he seems to be trying to make alliances which will take him faraway from the UF, even if he maintains a tenuous link with it.

More recently, he has stopped accusing the BSP and is maintaining silence about the party and its leaders. He is only harping on the BJP, Congress and the UF itself.

At the press conference, he presented, Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhis great grandson, and admitted him into the party. Gandhi will contest from north west Bombay. The other two candidates are Raja Ram Salve from Thane and Sohal Lokhandwale from south central Bombay.

Raj Babbar will not be contesting the elections this year. He fought unsuccessfully against Atal Bihari Vajpayee from Lucknow last year.

Arch political adversaries try to build bridges after receiving a drubbing in the recent

Vidhan parishad polls