Lucknow: When Akhilesh Yadav walked the extra mile to extend an olive branch to Mayawati, the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party (SP-BSP) deal was seen as an alliance of opportunism. There were sharp dissenters in the SP rank and file who felt that the party chief had conceded too much to ‘behenji’.
Even as Akhilesh referred to the BSP supremo as ‘buaji’, there were not many in both the parties who were ready to forget the infamous June 2, 1995 incident at the State Guest House in Lucknow – where Mayawati and her legislators were assaulted by Samajwadi Party supporters.
That incident made Mulayam Singh Yadav and his party persona non grata as far as Mayawati and her party were concerned.
The acrimony was so bitter that any kind of rapprochement had long been ruled out. Thus, the handshake between Akhilesh and Mayawati appeared unreal. What added to the confusion were repeated utterances by Mulayam’s younger brother, Shivpal Yadav who sought to create the impression that the alliance did not have the blessings of the Yadav patriarch.
Finally, Mulayam decided to put doubts to rest by sharing the dais with Mayawati in Mainpuri, his political turf, just before the third round of the seven-phased polling. Mulayam publicly showering praise on the BSP strongwoman has sent a clear message that he is all for the alliance, thereby clearing all perceived hurdles – particularly of the headstrong Yadav vote to BSP.
The massive rally in Mainpuri was a reminder of another mammoth rally – addressed jointly by Mulayam and BSP founder Kanshi Ram – in Lucknow 26 years ago. It was the first time that the then political allies had appeared together at a public forum. Sure enough, Mayawati was also very much there. The crowd was hysteric and the writing on the wall clearly signalled a warning for the BJP – then at its peak in the aftermath of the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.
Mayawati with BSP founder Kanshi Ram. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Rise of a formidable alliance
Even as both the SP and BSP were still evolving as political parties, their chemistry and arithmetic had given the BJP a run for its money in the 1993 UP assembly elections. If Kanshi Ram had complete sway over Dalits, Mulayam certainly enjoyed an impressive following of Muslims and Yadavs, besides influence over non-Yadav OBCs.
Sure enough, that made a formidable political combine in a scenario where the Congress was already a spent force and BJP was on the rise, largely on the strength of its Hindutva card.
However, what was most surprising was the fact that despite building fervour around the Ram Janmbhoomi issue, the BJP failed to do any wonder. In the state assembly election that followed, the saffron party remained well below the magic figure of 213 in the house of then 425 seats (before the carving out of Uttarakhand).
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At the peak of the temple movement, BJP could not score anything beyond 177 seats. SP, which had contested on 260 assembly seats, managed to romp home on 109 while the BSP, which contested 164, scored a victory on 67, thereby putting up a joint tally of 176 seats.
Eventually, the alliance scored over the BJP by getting instant support of the Congress. Despite being reduced to a paltry 28 seats, the Congress had just about enough numbers to get the alliance to ride on to the power pedestal and form the government. However, whether the alliance would last long was the million dollar question. An over-demanding BSP was always keeping the relatively docile SP on tenterhooks.
Cracks begin to appear
Otherwise known for flexing his muscles, here was ‘pehelwan’ (wrestler) Mulayam readily conceding to Kanshi Ram-Mayawati duo’s high demands. Since Kanshi Ram had detailed Mayawati to represent him in Lucknow, she would leave no stone unturned to humiliate the SP chief. There was much loud talk about Mulayam being driven against the wall to shell out ‘hafta’ as the price to stay on in power.
Whimsical to the core, Mayawati went to the extent of seeking the removal of Mulayam’s confidante, Bhagwati Singh from his cabinet. Mulayam’s refusal to bow down this time evoked Kanshi Ram’s wrath. The tussle continued for some time, following which Mulayam sent word to invite Kanshi Ram for talks in Lucknow.
Kanshi Ram put up his own precondition – that talks would be held only in the presence of the media – which the SP chief found ridiculous.
The final blow
Finally, the showdown came on June 1, 1995, when Mayawati went up to then governor Motilal Vora, declaring a withdrawal from the ruling alliance. She also staked claim to form the new government with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party. It was discovered that while Mayawati had kept Mulayam engaged in Lucknow, Kanshi Ram was busy striking a deal with the BJP through an affluent industrialist-turned-wheeler-dealer Jayant Malhotra.
What followed was the infamous state guest house violence, exposing Mayawati to an assault by a bunch of goons, allegedly let loose by Mulayam. Mayawati was busy holding a meeting of her party MLAs in Lucknow’s Mira Bai Marg State Guest House on June 2, 1995, when there was a sudden attack.
Many BSP legislators were beaten black and blue while Mayawati barely managed to save her skin by locking herself inside her suite along with a close aide, Capt Sikander Rizvi. It was Rizvi who later divulged to the media how he pushed the sofas and furniture to protect the door of the suite from being crashed by the attackers.
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Later, it was also disclosed that a well-known journalist was also used by the SP leaders to persuade Mayawati to open the door under the pretext of an interview. But there was a message on the pager (those were the days of the pager) the Rizvi carried warning Mayawati not to open the door under any circumstances.
Mind you, top police officials turned a deaf ear to Mayawati’s initial cries for help and shortly thereafter the telephone lines of her room were snapped.
Finally, it was the presence of a very active media that prevented the goons from forcing their entry into Mayawati’s suite. Those were not the days of 24-hour television. Yet, there was one camera that had captured the entire picture – of ANI, whose correspondent-cum-cameraperson Govind Pant Raju had smartly recorded almost every bit of the incident. He even managed to have his video cassette sent over to Delhi through a passenger travelling by the evening flight. And that eventually found its way to BBC, from where it was picked by investigating agencies that got into action subsequently.
The acrimony created on account of the attack continued to turn more bitter and personal. Years later, even though Mulayam was ready to make amends for his past, Mayawati remained uncompromising and refused to pardon the SP boss as she believed that the attack was a design to eliminate her.
Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav. Credit: PTI
Akhilesh Yadav mends fences
Evidently, a quarter of a century later, it was the surprise initiative by Akhilesh Yadav to make amends on behalf of his father that led Mayawati to let bygones be bygones. Though a local builder known for his underhand deals with both Mayawati and Mulayam has been trying to hog credit for the rapprochement, insiders give credit to Akhilesh for walking the extra mile to persuade Mayawati for a new gathbandhan.
That the alliance is likely to pay dividends became visible on day one itself. It was amply demonstrated in the discomfort seen in the BJP camps at various levels. Not denying that the arithmetic behind the alliance was formidable, BJP president Amit Shah sought to reassure himself by claiming, “Politics is not about just arithmetic; it is chemistry, which does not exist between SP and BSP.”
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However, over a period of time, a renewed chemistry has been building between the two. And that became amply visible when Mulayam himself shared the dais with Mayawati in his constituency Mainpuri earlier this month. Both showered praise at each other, and Mulayam went a step further by adding, “Mayawati ji ka hamesha samman karo; hum inke bahut abhari hain (Please respect Mayawati always; we are truly grateful to her)”.
Akhilesh’s wife Dimple took the chemistry well-beyond when she bowed down to touch Mayawati’s feet when the BSP supremo came down to hold another joint rally with Akhilesh in Dimple’s constituency Kannauj. Mayawati responded by referring to her as ‘bahu’ (daughter-in-law).
Influential BJP insiders confess that the alliance cannot be dismissed. In the best scenario, they are not willing to give their own party anything beyond 40 of UP’s 80 Lok Sabha seats – clearly 33 down from where the party had shot up to in 2014. Isn’t that enough cause for worry for the mighty BJP, and the mightier Prime Minister Narendra Modi?