MELLOWED MULAYAM

As pollsters project Mulayam as a tried and tired horse, Mulayam is a desperate man. India Today's Farzand Ahmed explains why.

In an era of market-driven politics, if the traditional jan sampark abhiyan (public contact campaign) turns into a roadshow to sell the Nehru-Gandhi family as a product, it isn't surprising if 68-year-old Mulayam Singh Yadav, one of the few survivors of the socialist era, raves about his dream projects and tells the rural masses about his vision for development mixed with populist welfare measures.

This is the Lohiate brand of politics that would help the poor dream of owning a piece of land on the moon with Mulayam having little choice but to indulge in clever jargon because few listen to plain ideology anymore. "This election is no ordinary election. This is historic. This is going to give a new direction to the politics in the country," he says.

Mulayam, the ageing former wrestler, has too many dreams to sell this election and miles to go to retain his throne. As pollsters and psephologists vie with each other to project Mulayam as a tried and tired horse in the race and predict that Mayawati's 'elephant' would crush his 'bicycle', Mulayam is a restless man.

'I know you are not happy with your local vidhayak (MLA) but remember that you are going to vote for me if you want me to turn UP into Uttam Pradesh," he tells the electrorate.

Crisscrossing the state in a chopper, most of the time alone, he is braving the 40 plus temperature as he freely mixes with people to map their minds. The minute he starts talking,the rhetoric is given a new twist as he says "I will speak in brief but my speech will be complete. Reason: you already know what I have done, you know what I am going to do for you and you know why my enemies have ganged up against me."

"Their only agenda is to jail me and my family. My agenda is to work for you. What do you want?" he asks.

On Monday last, Mulayam addressed as many as nine rallies in Sitapur district telling voters everywhere that he has created a surplus budget and locked Rs 25,000 crore in the state coffer for development and welfare. "This is your money but remember my defeat would mean that my opponents would plunder your money for their own vikas. If you want me to give authority to pursue development and welfare measures, then raise your hands." As thousands of hands go up amid thunderous applause, Mulayam walks back to the white flying machine.

Ever since electioneering began for the prolonged seven-phase polls, Mulayam has not slept well and every morning by sunrise, he is ready to get going on his campaign rounds, addressing ' brief but complete'
rallies ranging from three to 10 a day. In between, he looks back assessing the polling pattern so far and occasionally talking in soliloquy, convincing himself he is on the right track.

Mulayam, it appears, has reasons to appear desperate as he has been 'betrayed' by trusted lieutenants like veteran socialist Beni Prasad Verma who joined the 'enemy' camp of Sonia Gandhi. Verma, who had once defended him in the Lok Sabha as the 'most honest' politician in the country, is now going around saying Mulayam is the most corrupt chief minister.

In addition, archenemies like Mayawati and Sonia Gandhi, like the epic battle of Mahabharat, have with the help of enemies from within created a Chakravyuh-like battle formation keeping in the middle Brahmins who have formed a strong BMD (Brahmin-Muslim-Dalit) camp for the BSP to counter his MY (Muslim-Yadav) coalition. The BJP has also started doin all it can to crush his dreams to retain power. The partys' VCD showing anarchy and cow-slaughter in the crudest form has started waking up the Hindutava forces.

Clearly, Mulayam, who at the moment is fighting the crucial polls with his back on the wall, has put up a brave front and kept his morale high. Only the voters know if the veteran would return to power or return the crown to the 'Iron Lady' Mayawati.

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