SP wants to turn 2014 polls into Gujarat Vs Uttar Pradesh contest

The Samajwadi Party has a different take on the coming 2014 Parliamentary elections. Far from a perceived Presidential-style poll battle between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav wants it to be taken as an Uttar Pradesh Versus Gujarat or between a statesman (Mulayam) versus a businessman (Modi) contest. [caption id=“attachment_124352” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Mulayam Singh Yadav[/caption] It’s not just the numbers, 80 in Lok Sabha, that the Hindi heartland state sends to Lok Sabha. Akhilesh’s argument is also that a politician from UP, Mulayam Singh Yadav in this case, is inherently superior as a leader to rule the country, proven by the fact that eight Prime Ministers have been from the state. Modi’s state of Gujarat, which has given only vyapari (businessmen), he says. He suggested that the governance of the country could not be given to someone from Gujarat because “a businessman thinks only in terms of profit and loss”. Though it was not designed to be that way, coincidentally Thursday turned out to be a clash of titans with BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and the Third Front’s self proclaimed Prime Ministerial candidate Mulayam Singh Yadav holding big rallies in Agra and Bareilly respectively. Not to be shadowed completely, the Congress too tried to make its presence felt by holding a demonstration in Lucknow seeking implementation of the Food Security Act in the state. The comparison or the contrast between Modi and Mulayam’s shows is interesting. Modi’s ideas for high-tech rally broadcast systems – with improved sound system for clarity of voice from the front rows to the last rows of the ground and outside, multiple camera shots, use of technology to show size and response of the crowd when a leader speaks, a big podium and proper seating arrangement (to the extent possible) for the crowd, LCD projection at various points in the ground, etc – were adopted by the Samajwadi Party for their big-bang show of strength in Bareilly. Of course, Modi has no copyright over such arrangements. He himself borrowed the idea from a South Indian star turned politician. The Samajwadi Party says that since it is now competing for the most honoured position in the national polity after the 2014 elections, it was important that people saw it in the same way, no less than anyone (the principal challenger Modi) else. In Agra, Modi’s rallies certainly had what has by now become standard operating procedure for his organisers. The Congress too had made similar hi tech arrangements for coverage of the Rahul Gandhi Delhi rallies last week but that couldn’t be used to achieve the purpose because his rallies made news for thin attendance instead. Rahul eventually made a brief seven-minute speech. Mulayam’s brother Ramgopal Yadav was the first to make public the Samajwadi Party’s hopes, terming communalism (read Modi) as a bigger threat and issue than corruption and price rise: “Though corruption and price rise are also important issues but rise of communalism and combating it is biggest issue in the coming elections.” Enthused by the huge turnout, all Samajwadi Party leaders appeared obsessed with comparing their rally and what could be the size of the crowd at Agra with that of “another prime ministerial contender”. Akhilesh spoke of Congress only once in passing reference. Gujarat and Modi figured repeatedly in his speech though ht didn’t name them directly. Mulayam spoke of the Congress by referring to Rahul’s “ordinance tearing” act as an insult to Prime Minister. “Should you elect a person like him,” he asked, virtually staking his claim for the post. But the thrust of his argument lay in convincing the Muslim electorate that he was the only or the best protector of the interests of the community, that too when threat of communalism loomed large. He described his pro-Muslim tilt as his striving “to get justice for them”. Defending his decision to order firing on ‘karsevaks’ in Ayodhya in 1990, he argued that the order was given not only to prevent the demolition of Babri mosque but also to maintain the country’s unity. Incidentally the party’s Muslim face Azam Khan who was only recently berated by senior party leaders for his absence from party’s national executive meet in Agra was humoured to the best possible extent. The first family of SP seems to have yet again realised the importance of having Azam Khan on their side. An hour later, speaking in Agra, Modi completely sidestepped the supposed communal pitch that was expected. Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana, the two party MLAs accused in Muzaffarnagar riots, were felicitated, but by some local leaders, more than two hours before Modi landed in Agra. They were even made to leave the venue by the time Modi arrived there. Modi kept his speech centred on developmental issues, ranging from why a place like Agra whose Taj Mahal has been India’s biggest tourism pull did not have an airport and issuing a veiled criticism of Mulayam for having an airport even at a place like his home town Saifai, provision of drinking water, electricity generation and supply, so on. “The BJP’s politics is of development. The BJP is not into vote bank politics, its politics is focussed only on development.” As usual he hit hard on Congress on corruption and price prise: Delhi ki sarkar koila kha gayi, Supreme Court ne danda mara toh kaha file ko gayi, par lagta hai ki sarkar hi kho gayi. File nahi logon ki life kho gayi hai. (the union government in Delhi ate coal and when Supreme Court reprimanded for that, they said they lost the files but it looks as though the entire government has been lost. It’s not the files that have been lost, for people life has been lost) For a change, Modi gave a breather to Shahzada and Madam, speaking nothing about them at all.