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Home , Amar Singh (politician), Lalji Tandon, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Raghuraj Pratap Singh, Uday Pratap Singh

states MANEESH AGNIHOTRI late to undo the damage. was enraged and closed ranks behind REWARD SCHEME: Raja Political parties would normally be Raja Bhaiyya, whose elderly father Bhaiyya (right) reaps the expected to keep a safe distance from a had also been jailed benefits of supporting man so feared and loathed, whose and his palace in Kunda partially the criminal record would be the envy of destroyed and properties attached. BERTH PLAN any mafia don. But Raja Bhaiyya was in But far from being vilified for his In an obvious bid to woo the Thakurs, Mulayam inducts Raja fact being wooed by most of the alleged crimes Raja Bhaiyya became a Bhaiyya, who has 32 cases pending against him, into his Cabinet mainstream political parties. Two hero. When he was first arrested years ago, when the then chief minister his sphere of influence did not extend a pond near his palace in Beti village. booked him under various beyond the Kunda assembly segment ■ By Subhash Mishra There are also bizarre tales of a pond criminal charges, including POTA, of the Pratapgarh n May 18, less than a week after in his family estate where the legislator Mulayam and Samajwadi Party constituency. A few months in jail were the govern- reportedly breeds crocodiles—whose General Secretary vowed enough to turn Raja Bhaiyya into ment was voted out of power, occasional diet includes those who dare to take up his case. It is a different mat- a leader of the Thakurs. With more ORaghuraj Pratap Singh alias to cross the Thakur strongman’s path. ter that the same Amar Singh had once than 5,000 Thakurs in each of the Raja Bhaiyya walked out a free man If he were a minister at the Centre, criticised the state’s BJP chief minister state’s 402 assembly constituencies, from the Pratapgarh jail where he had there would surely have been an for keeping the company people from this community comprise spent 19 months as a POTA detainee. uproar in Parliament over his “tainted” of “criminals like Raja Bhaiyya”. a formidable vote bank. Last Friday, Raja Bhaiyya, credentials. But the Uttar Pradesh Even Mayawati would have ref- Independent MLA from Kunda, strode Assembly is unlikely to witness any- rained from slapping POTA charges hen Raja Bhaiyya was released confidently out of the at thing of the sort. This has much to do against Raja Bhaiyya if she had not on bail temporarily for treatment after he was sworn in as with the fact that irrespective of been furious with him for the role he Wat the civil hospital in Lucknow in minister in the Mulayam Singh ideology, virtually every party wants a played in splitting the BSP in 1997. By September 2003 MLAs, MPs and heads Government. As he headed towards a slice of the Thakur vote that Raja putting him behind bars she was also of political parties rushed to show soli- statue of Mahatma Gandhi with a Bhaiyya is said to have immense sway obliging , legislature party darity. And public expressions of sup- garland in hand, his supporters over. The BJP paid the price for its leader of the BJP, which was then an ally port came from people like former shouted, “Mahatma Gandhi amar silence over his incarceration as of the BSP. Tandon wanted Raja Bhaiyya prime minister , a fel- rahe, Raja Bhaiyya zindabad.” Thakurs overwhelmingly voted against out of the ministry to settle his personal low Thakur and Rajnath, the then Now take a look at the record of the the party in the first phase of the Lok scores with Rajnath Singh who, like Union agriculture minister.District and 60th minister to join the Mulayam Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. As Raja Bhaiyya, is a Thakur. local political leaders, cutting across Cabinet. He has as many as 32 criminal the second phase approached, the But if Mayawati thought she could party lines, turned up to meet him at cases registered against him. The very party rushed the then finance minister isolate Raja Bhaiyya by shunting him the hospital. mention of his name is enough to to Lucknow to protest from prison to prison, her subsequent One of Mulayam’s first announce- spread terror in Pratapgarh. During the “gross injustice that had been done decisions had precisely the opposite ments after he took office last year was raids on his vast estates police to Raja Bhaiyya”. It was a belated effect. She targeted the Thakur caste, related to the withdrawal of POTA and recovered, among other things, rifles, admission that the party was keen to heaping humiliation upon them, other criminal cases against Raja revolvers and explosives. They also win the Thakur votes, but by the time irrespective of whether they were Bhaiyya. That was a vote bank recovered a human skull and bones in Jaswant reached Lucknow, it was too bureaucrats or politicians. The clan gimmick which even the BJP did not fail to adopt. In January this year, shortly TROUBLED BJP before the Lok Sabha elections were ASCENSION: announced, BJP MLAs from Uttar Tripathi appointment has been greeted with Yadav Government. Former HRD Pradesh began to pressure the Centre scepticism by party workers who feel minister , whose to release Raja Bhaiyya, his father and Testing Times that at 71 he is too old to be an effec- differences with Tripathi are well his cousin Akshay Pratap Singh, also an tive leader. Tripathi has never inter- known, has also expressed his reser- Independent MLA. The BJP wanted a he Uttar Pradesh unit of the BJP is from the state did not go down well acted with the grassroot workers of vations. Perhaps the only people who commitment from him that he would in turmoil yet again. The central with a section of leaders in the state. the party and is generally seen as an are celebrating are those in the Kalyan campaign for the party in the general Tleadership of the party sacked But the central leadership did not have “elite” leader who is fond of “poetry Singh camp who feel they have elections. But Raja Bhaiyya had Vinay Katiyar as party chief on July 18 too many options. They had to try and aesthetics”. managed to foil the manoeuvrings of already given enough hints that he and replaced him with Kesharinath to woo Brahmin votes which had, of Besides party workers Tripathi Joshi, Rajnath and Mishra to give the would support Mulayam. And now by Tripathi, former Speaker of the Uttar late, been drifting to the Congress faces opposition from various quar- post to one of their candidates. inducting Raja Bhaiyya in his Cabinet, Pradesh Assembly. Katiyar, who and appointing Tripathi was a move in ters. The RSS is not happy because he When Mulayam came to power Mulayam has merely attempted to initially refused to resign, did not go this direction. has never been part of the outfit. last year he had said that he had no consolidate his party’s standing among quietly. “I don’t know why I am being Tripathi has no experience of Senior leaders like Rajnath Singh and objections to Tripathi continuing as the Thakurs. made the sacrificial goat,” he said organisational activities or of leading have already expressed Speaker even though he was from the For years, thanks to the terror he angrily. The BJP leadership’s decision any movement for the party but he their displeasure before the party high BJP. It now remains to be seen how well spread, Raja Bhaiyya was known as to hold Katiyar responsible for the now faces the daunting task of command. They were in favour of Tripathi will take on Mulayam’s “Kunda ka goonda”. If one of Uttar party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha reviving and uniting a party ridden appointing a young and dynamic Government and rejuvenate the rank Pradesh’s most wanted is now a minis- elections where it won only 10 seats by deep-rooted factionalism. His leader to take on the Mulayam Singh and file of the party. by Subhash Mishra ter in the state Cabinet, the unwitting credit surely goes to Mayawati. ■

36 TODAY ◆ AUGUST 2, 2004 AUGUST 2, 2004 ◆ INDIA TODAY 37