Mulayam cosying up to Modi to escape CBI action in assets case ;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the wedding ceremony of Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh's kin.If the proposed Janata Parivar fails to take shape, much of it could be due to Mulayam Singh Yadav. With the Samajwadi Party chief walking on a tightrope - at times cosying up with Prime Minister Narendra Modi while at other times opposing the Bharatiya Janata Party - the possibility of a United Janata Dal seems to be unlikely. It seems Mulayam just cannot afford to annoy Prime Minister Modi, more so when the Central Bureau of Investigation can swoop down on Samajwadi Party chief and his family in a disproportionate assets case.
And so, the Samajwadi Party supported PM Modi's National Democratic Alliance government for the Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Amendment Bill, but opposed the Land Acquisition Bill. The contradictory stances of Mulayam's outfit, say observers, clearly indicate that he is not willing to go the whole hog to oppose BJP. At the same time Mulayam wants to maintain a distance with the ruling party at the Centre to keep his Muslim vote bank intact.
Top sources in the SP told MAIL TODAY that Mulayam cannot offend Modi in any way because the Uttar Pradesh government of Akhilesh Yadav needs Central funds. But at the same time, Mulayam knows that his Muslim vote bank will not be happy if he befriends the prime minister. A senior SP leader said: "The Muslims would seek an explanation from him for his friendly gestures towards Modi. But Mulayam too is worried about parties like the DMK, AIADMK and the Trinamool Congress. They haven't shown much interest in the third alternative under Mulayam's leadership. Rather, AIADMK of Jayalalithaa supported the Land Bill. So he is trying a balancing act."
Vishwanath Chaturvedi, the petitioner in the disproportionate assets case against Mulayam and sons, believes that the SP chief is trying his best to keep the BJP happy. "This is because the CBI can change its posture in the case and make Mulayam's life miserable," Chaturvedi told MAIL TODAY.
"Moreover, even though the egoist leaders of Janata Parivar parties may accept Mulayam as their leader for the time being, the SP chief himself knows that he will become too weak after the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections," Chaturvedi added.
Mulayam is also worried about the dual membership issue in the Janata Parivar. Lalu Prasad of RJD, Deve Gowda of JD (S) and others would not like to completely merge their separate identities with that of the United Janata Dal. They would like to retain their identities by means of dual membership, as was the case for Janata Party and the Jan Sangh members in the late 1970s. "But history tells us that such dual membership can be the cause of disintegration. It happened with the Janata Party under Morarji Desai," a top SP leader said.
A.K. Verma, a political analyst and head of political science at Kanpur's Christ Church College said, "People are disgusted with the politics of Congress and BJP. They may be looking for a new alternative. But they have bitter experiences with the third alternative. They understand that Mulayam-led front belongs to vision-less politicians. Lalu has returned from jail and Mulayam is into communal and caste politics. This is why I believe this third front will not be able to fulfill expectations."
Amid all this, Mulayam's rivals are mincing no words. "Mulayam is an agent of the communal Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. This is why he is breaking the promises made during 2012 Assembly elections to provide jobs to Muslims. He is now a friend of Modi who is anti-Muslim," BSP general secretary Nasimuddin Siddiqui said.