The five bold moves of Mulayam Singh Yadav that changed dynamics of politics
New Delhi: The patriarch of Samajwadi Party and a torch-bearer of socialist movement Malayam Singh Yadav would be remembered for his five bold decisions that changed the political discourse of India and surprised many seasoned politicians, including Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and Mayawati. Yadav, who did the politics of secular, socialist and weaker sections of the society, would be recognised not only in Uttar Pradesh but also at the national level due to his decisions.
It was his bold decision at the last time that had prevented Sonia Gandhi from becoming Prime Minister. The incident relates to 1999 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee's NDA government lost the non-confidence motion by only one vote. Following that Sonia Gandhi had staked the claim to form the government with the support of many parties, including the Samajwadi Party and met the then President KR Narayanan.
It was the last moment decision of Mulayam Singh Yadav that surprised many as SP chief had backtracked by raising the issue of foreign origin of Sonia Gandhi. It was his stand that forced the Congress to nominate Manmohan Singh for the PM post.
The other key incident is related to the conflict with Mayawati as his politics was based on his practical principle of neither any permanent enemy nor a permanent friend in politics. Yadav forged an alliance with Kanshi Ram in 1993 and ousted the BJP from power during its rise. However, this alliance lasted only for two years as Mayawati withdrew the support that created a new wave of politics in Uttar Pradesh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee is being credited for making APJ Abdul Kalam the President, but in reality it was Mulayam Singh Yadav who had suggested making Kalam the NDA candidate instead of PC Alexander.
Though, his strong decisions have dodged many, but in 1996, he himself faced the brunt of OBC leaders like Lalu Yadav and Sharad Yadav when his name was proposed for the PM post.
As per political experts, it was believed that Mulayam Singh was in the race to become PM, which was opposed by BC leaders.
Following this, HD Deve Gowda got the chance to become the PM and Mulayam Singh Yadav had to settle with the post of Defense Minister.
The announcement of his successor was also very dramatic as the 2012 assembly election was contested in the name of Mulayam Singh and when the preparations for oath taking ceremony was in the final leg, he asked the astrologers to find out an auspicious occasion for Akhilesh Yadav that stunned everyone, including Shivpal Yadav.
