UP under Akhilesh: One state, many chief ministers

By Alka Pande On March 7, after winning a majority, the Samajwadi Party national president Mulayam Singh Yadav along with son Akhilesh, met the governor of Uttar Pradesh and proposed to form the government in the state. Defying all speculations and oppositions in and outside the party, Mulayam crowned son Akhilesh as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh’s elevation was a bit of a shocker for many. He did not have the experience to run a government – that Uttar Pradesh is a complex state to govern needs no overstating – and there were just too many rival power centres in the party to let him function without inhibitions. There were heartburns in the party’s old guard about his elevation, but Mulayam did some efficient firefighting then to quell dissent and ego issues. Five months on there are signs that things are falling apart for Akhilesh. Check this out. Despite having 61 departments under his belt, Akhilesh has so far not been able to take independent decisions, barring his own ambitious scheme of distributing laptops and tablets to students. Akhilesh is under constant guard. Inside office it is bureaucrat Anita Singh – a close confidante of Mulayam for years – whose sharp eyes scan each and every file that goes through the CM’s office. Outside it is Shiv Kumar, the old faithful personal security officer of father Mulayam. Shiv Kumar helps the CM in recognising party men who come to meet him. [caption id=“attachment_439970” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The many power centers of UP. PTI[/caption] While Akhilesh functions under constant guard there are others in the government who have emerged as strong power centres and are working independently without any supervision. They routinely bypass the chief minister’s office and run their own shows with total freedom. Two such power centres in the government are senior party leaders Azam Khan and Shivpal Yadav. Azam Khan, who till yesterday was the most popular Muslim face in the SP, functions virtually independent of any control. Famous as the chief minister of Rampur and known for his short-temper, he is rarely seen in negotiation or in consultation with the chief minister. He takes his own decisions, which sometimes go against the wishes of the chief minister. There are talks of a brewing cold war between him and Akhilesh. The differences were visible during the election campaign when Azam proposed induction of DP Yadav in the party. Akhilesh turned down the proposal citing DP Yadav’s criminal past. The most recent of their cold war is Azam’s recommendation to suspend the municipal commissioner. The recommendation fell on deaf ears as Akhilesh did not make any move in that direction. Azam also preferred to stay away from the roza iftaar party organised by the CM. The other most powerful and `independent’ minister in Akhilesh government is Shivpal Yadav – the younger brother of Mulayam. Shivpal was not keen on Akhilesh becoming the CM and was heard saying before the swearing in that, “it would be Mulayam who would become the chief minister”. Later when Akhilesh became the CM, Shivpal did everything to assert his power. When Akhilesh commenced his Janata Darshan Programme, Shivpal started his parallel public meetings. Since he has a strong hold on cadre, the partymen come to Shivpal with their problems and demands. He too does not like any interference in his work from Akhilesh. There are a few new power centres emerging in the government and one such minister is Abishek Mishra – the son of bureaucrat JS Mishra, whose proximity with Mulayam is well known. Abhishek is to Akhilesh what former cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh was to the then CM Mayawati. Abhishek enjoys the status of Minister of State for Protocol – a new portfolio, which Akhilesh specially created for him. Abhishek attends as many important events as Akhilesh Yadav – sometimes more. He can be seen holding court at his residence and meeting people there. A professor from IIM and a friend of the CM, Abhishek enjoys special power privileges. He is often taken as the chief minister in proxy. Commenting on the situation arising out of multiple power centres in the state, Bhartiya Janata Party state president Laxmi Kant Bajpai questions, “People of the state want to know who is actually running the government. Which is the real power centre?” Incidentally, not only within the government, various other power centres are running the government from outside as well. Mulayam Singh Yadav may not have taken direct charge of the government but he is calling the shots. “There are officers, who bypass Akhilesh and approach Mulayam for directions,” confirms a top bureaucrat. “He also decides the posting of officers at district level. The party members too approach Mulayam, if they want any officer to be removed or posted”, adds the official. Commenting on Akhilesh’s announcement of allowing purchase of vehicles worth Rs 20 lakh from MPLAD funds, Mulayam, in an interview, had said – “This happened only because I was not in town”. Then there is MP Ram Gopal Yadav, who because of his stronghold in western UP holds a very important position. His decisions are normally implemented in letter and spirit. “Akhilesh Yadav has many mentors, none of them want to harm Akhilesh but each one tries to keep him as a puppet. Unless Akhilesh gets rid of these Bairam Khans around him, he will never be able to establish himself as a strong, mature and independent politician”, says senior political analyst, Surendra Rajput.