SP's chance to lead Third Front goes for a toss

Despite the spectacular success in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party’s efforts at the national level remained at best an attempt to discover where it stands.

At the centre of its predicament lies its ambivalence for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, the most consistent obstacle for the party to find its feat at the national politics.

Organisationally, the party saw the Mulayam Singh family consolidate its grip on the affairs, having successfully removed Amar Singh, with the crowning of Akhilesh Yadav as the Chief Minister providing the most authentic evidence of the smooth change of guards.

Akhilesh’s wife Dimple Yadav, who lost to Rajbabbar in Firozabad, was elected unopposed from Kannauj, capping the most dominant year for the SP at the state level.

 It could now boast four members of the Yadav family representing UP at the Lok Sabha.

However, despite defeating the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty in their home turf of UP, SP’s inability to stand firm on its ideological principles had cost the party the opportunity to marshal a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative.

The latest instance of its vacillation is evident from its flip-flop on FDI in multi-brand retail.  Having decided to oppose the government policy and joined the Left parties in a nation wide court-arrest agitation, the SP went ahead and declared its opposition to the policy

It also declared its firmest disagreement with the government on the policy at the Parliament.  Leading the party on the floor was Mulayam Singh, who spoke eloquently on the FDI’s impact on farmers and small traders.

However, the party then walked out of the house before the vote, handing Congress and the UPA a clear numerical advantage and away from the opportunity to assert itself on the beleaguered government.

SP’s actions attracted sharp criticism from media and political parties, who accused Mulayam of a behind-the-scene deal.

It was a particular let-down for the CPI(M) which hoped to project SP as the leader of the non-BJP opposition alliance.

The vacillation has been largely attributed to the threat of strong action against Mulayam by the CBI in cases pending against the SP leader, something the party itself has been articulating. The perception of giving into Congress’ threat has severely dented Mulayam’s image as a national leader.

By opposing quota in promotion, the SP has discovered its own version of ‘social engineering’, ensuring its image as a champion of the Muslims and the backward communities, while also garnering the upper caste votes as a result of the move.

This could be the party’s ticket to play a pivotal role in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the one, if utilised to its full effect, could help SP further marginalise Congress and the BJP in their home turf.

So, at the end of the year, the SP has not actually lost out despite its ditherings.
It still has a chance to consolidate the gains it has achieved in the Assembly polls and transform itself into a potent national player.