Akhilesh Yadav is one of the very few young leaders of UP as also the upcoming face of Samajwadi Party being the son of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the patriarch of the party. He was interviewed on a whole range of issues, the excerpts of which are as follows:
The young leader who also happens to be the state president of the party, on being asked about the paucity of youth leadership in the all the parties in the state, averred that while SP has always been active among the youth of the state the subsequent regimes of the state have tried to stifle the young blood by banning student union elections. SP had always been with the students’ cause and most of the unions returned SP candidates. SP has always waged battles on and off the streets with students and young people of the state. But the media has been deliberately promoting only Rahul Gandhi as if he only is the uncontested youth leader of the state and the country. Though Congress has given pride of place to youth in its ministries and organization, this young rung has failed the aspirations of the people and this has brought not just the Congress but the youth leadership per se under clouds of suspicion.
On being asked about the coming Assembly elections in the state in 2012 wrt specific strategies to project SP as the credible young alternative vis-a-vis the stigma of corruption that has blotted SP image in the past, he said, in the context of the present government UP has hit a nadir. Instead of investing in the welfare of the people the government has squandered all the precious resources of the state in building parks and installing statues. The Congress is sanctimonious in making loud protests against corruption in other states whereas it turns a blind eye towards the corporate loot that the present government has indulged in. akhilesh is sure that when it takes these issues to the people they will give SP a chance in the coming elections.
Akhilesh says that Bihar will be the litmus test for Congress and BSP which are sure to fail and this will take the wind out of their sails. On the other hand the SP has this time tried to connect straight with the people of the state. It is for this reason that SP made a survey of the state extensively and in a novel way demanded that applications be sent to it by people who want to be the next candidates in the coming elections. This has given the party a direct vision and insight into the ground level problems of UP.
On being asked whether his party under his youthful leadership will give place to young people in its candidature list for the coming elections, the party state president expressed his exuberant wish to do so but with the caveat that the people of the related constituency if vouch that the concerned person has worked for them with them, then only his party will consider those candidates.
The young leader accepted the possibility of a covert alliance between the Congress and BSP. He points out to many an incident in the Parlaiment when the BSP has supported the Congress. His party too has supported Congress in the parliament but under the compulsion of opposition to BJP. On policy level, his party has decided to maintain equi-distance from the Congress as well as the BJP. In case of Noida Park issue when people staged fabulous protests, it was the Congress that later gave the no objection certificate to the state government to go ahead with the project.
He was asked about what his party thinks will do, if comes to power, to stem the tide of environmental degradation that has been affected by the BSP government. In his reply, Akhilesh has promised stern action against the people who have colluded with the government to perpetrate this destruction. Political personalities or bureaucrats, who so ever is found guilty will be punished. His party has prepared a list of such bureaucrats who have colluded with BSP in looting the state and such highly placed officials will be brought to book.
Our editor threw a direct question to the youth leader and inquired about the absence of stiff opposition from the SP to the anarchic rule of the BSP. No direct answer was forthcoming. Though Akhilesh tried to chart out how his party has opposed the anarchy of BSP, he could not go beyond the single example of SPs protests against banning of elections to student bodies in the colleges and university. He instead termed the BSP rule as a black chapter in the history of the state and wowed not to forget the tyrannies perpetrated on the people of the state.
In the end he expressed his opinion over the state of Dalits and Muslims in UP and said that these sections were with the SP. The Dalits have come to see the real face of Mayawati government which though rules in the name of Dalits, has done nothing to alleviate their condition. As for Muslims, the SP has always had a special traditional connection with them and the issue of Kalyan Singh’s induction in the party was just a ploy of the party leadership to show BJP of its real worth.
