Akilesh Yadav would be swearing in as the youngest Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh on 15th March. Akilesh Yadav seems to be a politician of entirely different calibre. He is educated as well as down to earth. He is cool as well as full of passion. He is dignified in his victory. He has given the Samajwadi Party a fresh face and a new life. Above all he has defeated both Congress and BJP. That makes him special.
The rise of Akilesh Yadav heralds a new chapter in Indian politics. We had sons, and daughters of various political leaders donning the role of netas earlier too. India has seen Rajiv Gandhis, Rahul Gandhis, Biju Patnaiks, Ajit Singhs, Chautalas, Chavans, Chandrababu Naidus etc etc. We have our own share of Stalins, Anbumanis, Azhagiris, Kanimozhis, Dayanithi Marans, Jayalalithas, Janakis etc etc. But, they don't inspire you. You never felt happy when Stalin or Jayalalitha sworn in as Ministers.
The rise of Akilesh Yadav is significant in an entirely different context. It has given hope and fresh lease of life for the dream of Third Front. UPA's second innings is a disaster for the country as well as the Congress. Rahul Gandhi has failed to strike a chord with the Aam Aadmi. He has joined the league of former future Prime Ministers in the company of L. K. Advani and others. Congress would definitely lose the next election. BJP too is not in a position to stage a comeback. The humiliating defeat suffered by Uma Bharati in UP conveys a lot. The perpetual blot of Babri Masjid demolition and everlasting stigma of Gujarat genocide would never make it acceptable in all parts of the country. Hence a combination of Mulayam's SP, Karunanidhi's DMK, Mamata's TMC, Andhra's TRS or TDP and Communists could forge a formidable alliance and THIRD FRONT could be formed to save the nation from the pro-US and anti-Aam Aadmi parties like Congress and BJP.
The Congress party is vulnerable because of its own misdeeds, starting from the nuclear deal that was pushed through Parliament with purchased votes, to the blind eye turned to the loot of the country in the 2G scam. Anna Hazare has demonstrated the widespread public revulsion that exists for the UPA government; character assassination of Team Anna members may remove the personnel, but not the public revulsion. Such is the state of public nausea that voters are willing to tolerate a timid and unimaginative chief minister like Maharashtra’s Prithviraj Chavan so long as he’s clean, as a DNA survey showed this week. The opposition parties must think of maximising the opportunity on the horizon; however, on current evidence it looks a tall order. The BJP has over-estimated its own strength and its ability to deliver an alternative. The fact that some of its worthies still think that the 84-year-old rath yatri LK Advani is a PM candidate, despite the fact that he led a losing campaign in 2009, demonstrates the bankruptcy of their political strategy.
India has had several experiments with non-Congress, non-BJP governments, but they have not lasted the full course. This does not mean a future experiment will also come up short. But the regional parties have to get their act together for 2012’s two milestones: the UP elections and India’s Presidential election. Mayawati looks on course to decide the first; perhaps she should take the lead in strategising an alternative for the next Parliamentary election. (I don’t give importance to the anti-Mayawati reports in our casteist media, and I don’t think the voters will either.) And the others, be it Mamata, Jayalalithaa, Nitish, etc, should follow her lead. Doing so would be far better than to delude oneself into following Modi’s lead, because his is a road that will lead nowhere in a hurry.
Aditya Sinha in DNA.
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