24 yrs of enmity gives way to Mulayam mood at Mainpuri

MAINPURI: He was frail but firm. She was warm and courteous. When two stalwarts of UP politics - Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mayawati - shared the dais at the historic Christian College ground in Mainpuri, the rancour accumulated over more than 25 years between SP and BSP evaporated instantly.
Profusely thanking the dalit leader for her gesture of seeking votes for him in what he called his last election, the SP patriarch called upon his supporters - chanting "Mulayam Dadda zindabad" vociferously - to always respect her.Mayawati, in turn, called him a true OBC leader who has done much for the downtrodden, unlike Prime Minister Modi, who she called a fake backward. The BSP chief also said that after the Lucknow guest house episode this alliance was difficult, but sometimes tough decisions are taken for the sake of the country.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, now in total command of the party and the pocket borough, played the role of a deft master of ceremonies. After a historic tie-up between SP and BSP on January 12, the Mainpuri maha-rally of the alliance was being viewed as the piece de resistance of the alliance script as Mayawati was going to appeal for Mulayam - something which was unthinkable till very recently. And Akhilesh ensured that the show went on without hiccups. His major success was in convincing his reluctant father who was reportedly unwilling to join the rally till the last moment.
Although SP sources claimed after the rally that Mulayam's Mainpuri schedule had been fixed 15 days in advance, ground zero was replete with stories of Mulayam's reluctance to take part in the rally. He in fact has addressed none since he filed his papers and spends time in Lucknow instead of his constituency. However, none of it showed when the 80-year-old Yadav satrap took to the dais. Arriving minutes after Mayawati, he was seated in the chair kept in the middle while the BSP chief had taken the one to the extreme right.
Holding a paper, apparently his speech, it appeared he would speak from his chair. But the next moment he got up and Akhilesh helped him to the microphone amid a deafening cheer from the crowd, making it difficult to comprehend what he was saying.
The major part of his speech of about three minutes was praise for Mayawati and appeals to the people for a historic mandate in his last election. “I welcome Mayawatiji on her visit to Mainpuri in support of my candidature and will remain indebted to her,” he said.
Mayawati first referred to the June 1995 guesthouse incident, in which she was allegedly attacked by SP workers after BSP pulled out of the coalition government. That started a bitter rivalry which ended only when the saffron surge in UP in 2014 and 2017 forced the two parties closer. “People must be wondering why I have come here to campaign despite the guesthouse case, but sometimes such difficult decisions need to be taken in public interest,” she said.
Targeting PM Modi, she said he misused his power as Gujarat CM to declare himself a backward. “But he is a farzi (fake) backward,” she said, adding that Mulayam was a true leader of the backwards who had worked to unite different sections of society. She also called Akhilesh Yadav “a true leader”.