UF upset over Mulayam's prime ministerial dreams
George Iype in New Delhi
The Samajwadi Party's decision to project Union Defence Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav as the United Front's prime minister-in-waiting has put the fragile combine in disarray.
Though most UF constituents believe the SP will emerge as the single largest party in the alliance after the general election, some partners -- especially the Left parties and the Janata Dal -- are upset over Mulayam Singh's attempts to project himself as the UF's next prime minister.
Mulayam Singh's close aide, Union Communications Minister Beni Prasad Verma announced in Lucknow on Wednesday that the SP president will be the next prime minister if the Front is elected to power.
But senior Left and Janata Dal leaders feel Mulayam Singh's attempt to emerge as the prime ministerial candidate is against the UF core committee's resolution.
"Mulayam is showing disrespect to our consensus -- that no one would be projected as the prime ministerial candidate," a senior Left leader said.
The Left Front will ask the UF core committee to shatter Mulayam Singh's illusions, demanding that he drop 'the next prime minister' tag from his campaign.
Many in the UF believe Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral is unlikely to retain his post in case the Front cobbles together a working majority.
As electioneering picks up momentum, some UF leaders are looking at two possible prime ministerial candidates -- Mulayam Singh and West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu.
Basu told a television network on Wednesday that he would certainly accept the post if it is offered to him.
However, whether other Communist Party of India-Marxist leaders like its general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet will make Basu's desire a reality is not known. Surjeet, who is on the campaign trail, was unavailable for comment. But Left sources say Basu's repeated announcements in this regard have the party leadership's tacit sanction.
Last year, Basu said the CPI-M's decision not to join the UF government along with the Communist Party of India was 'a historical blunder'.
How the JD leadership reacts to these developments is not clear. But many party leaders feel it would fight for its 'right' to retain the post. It still wishes to be the backbone of UF, they said. Both UF prime ministers -- H D Deve Gowda and Gujral -- were senior JD leaders.
While the tussle for the top slot continues, the UF constituents are now reconciled to the inevitability of fighting each other in many constituencies in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Much to the Bharatiya Janata Party's delight, most of the 139 constituencies in the Hindi heartland will witness multi-cornered contests, thanks to UF infighting.
The SP has fielded candidates in 84 out of the 85 seats in UP while the JD and the CPI are contesting 22 and six seats respectively.
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