Modi-Mulayam bonhomie: It’s astute politics at play before Budget session

Lucknow: It was a social meeting loaded with political hints. Coming only a couple of days before the crucial Budget session of Parliament, during which the government needs to clear some of its controversial ordinances, the significance of this small show of bonhomie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his political rivals at the other end of the ideological spectrum, at Saifai was hard to miss. The short presence of a visibly happy Modi on Saturday at the tilak ceremony of Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, grand nephew of Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, has sparked the possibility of a realignment of political positioning in both Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party. [caption id=“attachment_2114817” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mulayam Singh and Lalu at the ceremony. PTI[/caption] The Modi government is likely to face a tough time in the Budget session where many ordinances, including the one of land acquisition, are to come up for discussion. The NDA has the numbers to sail through in Lok Sabha but in Rajya Sabha it will face an uphill task. While the cheers in Saifai would have gladdened Modi’s heart, the display of warmth towards political rivals may well be a tactical move on his part to dilute possible opposition in parties strongly critical of him. Tej Pratap is getting married to Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav’s youngest daughter Raj Laxmi. He is the Samajwadi Party MP from Mainpuri and the wedding is scheduled for 26 February in Delhi. While Modi’s stay in Saifai was for less than an hour, but the visuals of the manner in which he clasped the hands of Lalu and Mulayam and shared an easy rapport with them had astounded viewers across the country. While it is widely believed that Modi’s visit to share some happy moments with staunch political rivals could be part of his efforts to find peace, many feel it is an quid pro quo arrangement between the BJP and the SP. The Uttar Pradesh BJP is likely to refrain from raising questions over the extravagance at the Saifai programme, while the SP would extend cooperation to the government in Parliament. According to sources, another indication of this possibility is the timing to stall the arrival of UP minister Mohammad Azam Khan until after Modi and UP Governor Ram Naik had left the venue in Saifai. Azam has been involved in a bitter spat with Naik and frequently been making vitriolic comments against Modi. The fact that Azam also avoided the presence of former SP leader Amar Singh could be a sign on Mulayam’s part to keep intact the bonhomie of the occasion. The loud cheers for Modi in the presence of Mulayam, Lalu, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, and other members of the Mulayam clan was remarkable, as was the craze to be photographed with Modi as he sat sandwiched between Lalu and Mulayam on a stage. While the womenfolk lined up behind the trio, the children clamoured to come up in front, and Modi even took one child on his lap to oblige the photographers. Mulayam’s younger son Prateek and his wife Aparna were seen taking several selfies with a smiling Modi. The crowd appeared to be cheering for the fact that Modi had come to Saifai despite the severe political differences with both Mulayam and Lalu and, according to a source, the locals perceived it more as a victory for Mulayam’s political sharpness than anything else. While the state BJP leaders are not willing to comment, a former office-bearer of the party said it was common courtesy shown by Modi and if it led to political advantages, “it was most welcome.” He added that the people’s reaction meant that Modi’s appeal continued to be strong in the state. The Akhilesh Yadav government has been constantly been attracting criticism over failures on law and order front, and the BJP was known to be preparing to attack the Samajwadi Party government in the coming days of the UP Assembly session. But now the situation might turn out to be different. On the other hand, Mayawati of the Bahujan Samaj Party was not invited to the Saifai function, and the party is likely to launch a fresh round of attack against SP and BJP. “We have been saying all along that the two parties have a tacit understanding with each other for a long time,” a BSP source said. Sources within the SP, however, are a little alarmed over the loud cheers for Modi in the SP stronghold. “The crowd kept cheering for as long as Modi was on stage and the people started moving out for lunch as soon as Modi left,” said a source present there. Eye-witnesses said people in the crowd stood up on their chairs, jumped with joy and climbed on barricades and pillars to have a look at Modi and click photographs. During the Lok Sabha election campaign last year, Modi had shot barbs at Mulayam and Akhilesh, deriding them as “baap bete ki sarkar” involved in all sorts of irregularities. Incidentally, Modi also had used strong words against Sharad Pawar’s NCP, terming as “most corrupt”. But Modi displayed an extraordinary bonhomie towards Sharad Pawar during a recent visit to Maharashtra.