As far as political overtures go, this is as expedient as they get. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend the “tilak” ceremony of Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav’s grandnephew Tej Pratap Yadav at Saifai on February 21.
Although there’s no official word on the Prime Minister’s programme, the Special Protection Group and police officers from Lucknow have reached Saifai to review the security arrangements.
Samajwadi Party leaders were at pains to maintain that no political motive should be read into this development as Modi and Mulayam Singh Yadav are known to enjoy a good personal rapport. The Samajwadi Party leader had attended the wedding reception of Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah’s son in Delhi last Sunday.
Tej Pratap Yadav is to marry Raj Lakshmi, the daughter of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. While the tilak ceremony is to be held at Saifai, the wedding is to take place on February 26 in Delhi.
United opposition benches
Despite the attempts by the SP and the BJP to play down these reports, Modi’s presence at Saifai cannot be dismissed as a case of extending social curtsies to political rivals.
The Prime Minister will be in Saifai two days before the crucial budget session of Parliament begins on February 23. Modi’s outreach to Mulayam Singh Yadav at this vital time is being seen as a carefully calibrated move to woo the Samajwadi Party and create fissures in the opposition ranks.
The National Democratic Alliance government has lined up a heavy legislative agenda in this session, including the passage of the insurance and land acquisition Bills to replace the ordinances promulgated by the ruling alliance. The opposition has already made it clear that it will block these legislation in the Rajya Sabha where it is has a majority.
On the other hand, it is imperative for the Modi government to ensure the passage of these key Bills as the prime minister is under pressure to deliver on his election promise to push ahead with economic reforms and improve the country’s financial condition.
Divide and rule
The Modi government was unable to push through its key economic Bills in the winter session of Parliament after all the opposition parties banded together in the Rajya Sabha to derail the proceedings to protest the issue of religious conversions and the hate speeches made by BJP leaders. The last session had witnessed the unusual sight of arch political rivals like the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties joining hands to corner the Modi government.
The ruling alliance obviously does not want these scenes to be repeated in the budget session. It has, therefore, decided to adopt a divide and rule policy. The NDA government’s floor managers have been wooing the Samajwadi Party since the winter session and Modi’s visit to Safai is said to be part of this game plan.
Modi has already reached out to J Jayalalithaa’s All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal. Both of these have been NDA allies in the past and do not have any ideological opposition to economic reforms. With ongoing court cases against her, Jayalalithaa needs the Centre’s support and protection at this juncture. The Biju Janata Dal is being wooed with the promise of special financial packages for Odisha.
It remains to be seen if the NDA government’s strategy will work. The changes in the land acquisition Bill have come in for stiff opposition not just from the opposition but also from farmers who have taken to the streets to lodge their protest against the new version of the legislation. The opposition parties will find it difficult to pass off this opportunity to use the emotive issue to weaken the government and draw political mileage from it. After all, it’s a question of their political survival.
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Although there’s no official word on the Prime Minister’s programme, the Special Protection Group and police officers from Lucknow have reached Saifai to review the security arrangements.
Samajwadi Party leaders were at pains to maintain that no political motive should be read into this development as Modi and Mulayam Singh Yadav are known to enjoy a good personal rapport. The Samajwadi Party leader had attended the wedding reception of Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah’s son in Delhi last Sunday.
Tej Pratap Yadav is to marry Raj Lakshmi, the daughter of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. While the tilak ceremony is to be held at Saifai, the wedding is to take place on February 26 in Delhi.
United opposition benches
Despite the attempts by the SP and the BJP to play down these reports, Modi’s presence at Saifai cannot be dismissed as a case of extending social curtsies to political rivals.
The Prime Minister will be in Saifai two days before the crucial budget session of Parliament begins on February 23. Modi’s outreach to Mulayam Singh Yadav at this vital time is being seen as a carefully calibrated move to woo the Samajwadi Party and create fissures in the opposition ranks.
The National Democratic Alliance government has lined up a heavy legislative agenda in this session, including the passage of the insurance and land acquisition Bills to replace the ordinances promulgated by the ruling alliance. The opposition has already made it clear that it will block these legislation in the Rajya Sabha where it is has a majority.
On the other hand, it is imperative for the Modi government to ensure the passage of these key Bills as the prime minister is under pressure to deliver on his election promise to push ahead with economic reforms and improve the country’s financial condition.
Divide and rule
The Modi government was unable to push through its key economic Bills in the winter session of Parliament after all the opposition parties banded together in the Rajya Sabha to derail the proceedings to protest the issue of religious conversions and the hate speeches made by BJP leaders. The last session had witnessed the unusual sight of arch political rivals like the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Trinamool Congress and the Left parties joining hands to corner the Modi government.
The ruling alliance obviously does not want these scenes to be repeated in the budget session. It has, therefore, decided to adopt a divide and rule policy. The NDA government’s floor managers have been wooing the Samajwadi Party since the winter session and Modi’s visit to Safai is said to be part of this game plan.
Modi has already reached out to J Jayalalithaa’s All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal. Both of these have been NDA allies in the past and do not have any ideological opposition to economic reforms. With ongoing court cases against her, Jayalalithaa needs the Centre’s support and protection at this juncture. The Biju Janata Dal is being wooed with the promise of special financial packages for Odisha.
It remains to be seen if the NDA government’s strategy will work. The changes in the land acquisition Bill have come in for stiff opposition not just from the opposition but also from farmers who have taken to the streets to lodge their protest against the new version of the legislation. The opposition parties will find it difficult to pass off this opportunity to use the emotive issue to weaken the government and draw political mileage from it. After all, it’s a question of their political survival.
