On the last day of Parliament, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and veteran Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav endorsed PM Modi for a second term and praised him for taking everyone along. On Wednesday, in the Lok Sabha, he said, “PM ko badhaai dena chahta hun ki PM ne sabko saath le kar chal ne ki koshish ki hai. Main kehna chahta hun ki saare sadaysa phir se jeet kar aayen, aur aap (PM) dobara pradhan mantri banein” (We want him (Narendra Modi) to become Prime Minister once again. He has done good work and nobody can raise a finger against him).
Samajwadi Party's Mulayam Singh Yadav in Lok Sabha: PM ko badhaai dena chahta hun ki PM ne sabko saath lekar chalne ki koshish ki hai. Main kehna chahta hun ki saare sadaysa phir se jeet kar aayen, aur aap (PM) dobara pradhan mantri banein (File pic) pic.twitter.com/reeyh5H9bB
— ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2019
After making the aforementioned statement, Mulayam Singh Yadav folded his hands to which PM Modi responded with a smile on his face and folded his hands in gratitude, and later said, “There is much to do. And Mulayam Singh ji has given his blessings. I am very grateful to him.”
With his one statement, Mulayam Singh Yadav has killeed many birds with one stone and also lived up to his reputation of being an unpredictable politician with his twists and turns. He is a seasoned politician and understands politics better than Akhilesh Yadav. Mulayam Singh Yadav understands that at the age of 79, his ambition of becoming the prime minister is just like ‘Mungerilal Ke Haseen Sapne’ and now wants to spoil the game on the anti-Modi front which includes his own party led by his son- Akhilesh Yadav. The BJP would definitely use Mulayam’s remark to outwit the SP-BSP alliance in UP. The BJP’s strategy would serve two purposes: First, it will subdue Mulayam’s long-time political rival- Mayawati- who has got a lifeline because of this Mahagathbandhan arrangement. Second, with Mayawati’s political career coming to an end, Akhilesh Yadav would automatically emerge as the principal opposition in the state.
Mulayam Singh Yadav knows very well that his son- Akhilesh Yadav- has three decades of politics ahead of him and his best bet is to make UP a bipolar fight between the BJP and the SP by outsmarting bitter political rival- BSP. It will also ensure the political survival of both Akhilesh Yadav and the SP.
When the SP aligned with the Congress in the 2017 UP state assembly elections, it suffered a humiliating defeat. Mulayam perhaps expecting a similar situation for his party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, that’s why he is trying every trick in the book in order to avoid a repeat of a 2017 like situation. He built the SP with great hard work and can’t see it collapsing like a house of cards in front of his eyes.
Mulayam was never happy with his son backing SP’s long-time political rival- Mayawati. He also abhors the fact that Akhilesh Yadav is backing Mamata Banerjee or Rahul Gandhi for the post of Prime Minister. That’s why he prefers a second term of PM Modi as Prime Minister of India.
Mulayam is considered as ‘Dharti-Putra’ and enjoys great followership among the older generations of Yadavs and loyal supporters of SP. Although, his son has removed him from the party leadership, Mulayam Singh Yadav can still easily sway a major chunk of Yadav and Samajwadi votes. The Game is On now, and the OPPOSITION shall enjoy it dearly!
