New Delhi, October 9 (IANS). The dusty arena of Saifai, where amidst the excitement of wrestling, an ordinary farmer’s son cherished the dream of becoming a wrestler. That boy was Mulayam Singh Yadav, who would never have thought that the same arena would become a political arena, where he would defeat big giants.
Born on 22 November 1939 to Murti Devi and Sughar Singh in Saifai village of Etawah, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s journey started from a common farmer family and reached the pinnacle of power in Uttar Pradesh. Today, when we look at his political career, it seems as if every wrestling move became a political move.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, popularly known as ‘Netaji’ in the politics of Uttar Pradesh, left an indelible mark in Indian politics. Born in Saifai village of Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav came from an ordinary farmer family and made a new position in the politics of the country. His story is an example of struggle, courage and fight for social justice.
One of five siblings, he received his early education in the village. After completing his graduation and post graduation in Political Science, he started a career as a teacher. Mulayam became a teacher in Jain Inter College, Karhal in 1963 and soon became active in student politics. Influenced by socialist leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia and Raj Narayan, he started his political journey. He was elected MLA from Jaswantnagar for the first time in 1967 and never looked back. His political journey was full of ups and downs. He remained in jail for 19 months during the Emergency of 1975, but this did not break his courage.
He was elected MLA consecutively in the years 1969, 1974 and 1977. In 1977, in the wave of Janata Party, Ram became the Cooperation Minister in the Naresh Yadav government at the age of just 38. From here, his image became that of an efficient administrator, who protects the interests of farmers and backward people. Mulayam’s stature grew rapidly in the 1980s. After becoming the state president of Lok Dal, he again became an MLA in 1985 and 1989, but the real explosion came in 1989, when in the wave of Janata Dal, he became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. This was the first time that a socialist leader took charge of UP. In his first term, emphasis was placed on farmer welfare and backward class reservation, but the government fell in 1991 due to the breakup of the Janata Dal.
While serving as Chief Minister thrice, he started many welfare schemes for backward classes and minorities. Established Samajwadi Party in 1992, which is still the major political force in Uttar Pradesh.
In 1993, he again became the Chief Minister with the support of Congress and Janata Dal. During this tenure, along with suppressing riots in Lucknow, he focused on development schemes. Mulayam entered central politics in 1996. He became the Defense Minister in the United Front government, but the instability of the government made him return to UP. By becoming Chief Minister for the third time in 2003, he proved that he was steadfast.
Many major decisions were taken during his tenure as Defense Minister at the Centre. Mulayam Singh’s biggest achievement was the fight for social justice. Supporting the recommendations of the Mandal Commission, he tried to bring the backward classes into the mainstream. In 1993, it formed an alliance with BSP and kept BJP away from power. Due to his efforts the health and education infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh was strengthened. However, there were no less controversies in his life. His decision to open fire on kar sevaks in the 1990 Ayodhya incident earned him the nickname of ‘Mullah Mulayam’, which spread resentment among Hindu voters.
The record of winning 7 times in the Lok Sabha (from 1989 to 2019) and 10 times in the Assembly remains unbroken even today. There were no less controversies in Mulayam Singh Yadav’s politics. When there were allegations of nepotism, he faced opposition from the upper class on the implementation of Mandal Commission, but his strength was straight talk, connection and alliance with the farmers. He kept on becoming the Prime Minister, but he always influenced the politics of UP.
On October 10, 2022, 82-year-old Mulayam Singh Yadav passed away from this world, but his legacy is still alive.
–IANS
AKS/DKP
