He is the face Samajwadi Party is banking on. Akhilesh Yadav, son of Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, has virtually taken over the reins of the party. He is the one who worked to give the SP manifesto the so-called ‘progressive and modern look’. English and use of computers, traditionally, ignored by the SP, are high on Akhilesh’s list and the party manifesto. Manish Anand speaks to the SP’s GenNext.

You are the one who is leading the party. You are in the process of replacing your father Mulayam Singh Yadav as the Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo.

No, it’s not true. While chalking out the campaign strategy, it was decided that that Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) would address only big rallies. It was decided that I should be taking out a rath yatra and travel across the state. Leaders felt that party functionaries like myself, Azam Khan, Mohan Singh and Shivpal Singh Yadav would be travelling and would address the grassroots people. While we are working at the grassroots level, Netaji is concentrating on big rallies.

Is the Congress emerging as an alternative in a state witnessing a multi-corner
contest?

Congress sirf hawa mein hain; hum zameen par hain (The Congress is merely floating in the air; we are on the ground). For the past five years, it has been the SP which had been on the streets to protest against the misrule of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Our party workers have faced atrocities during the BSP regime. It’s only a myth that the Congress has emerged as an alternative. When we were fighting the BSP’s misrule, the Congress was nowhere to be seen.

There is also talk of a post-poll alliance of the Congress-SP-RLD to cobble together a government ?

We are going to get full majority. We don’t need any support and there is no need to strike any post-poll alliance.

You did not give a ticket to Uttar Pradesh strongman D. P. Yadav claiming that no tainted politicians would be nominated. At the same time, you gave a ticket to Veer Singh Patel, son of the dreaded slain dacoit Dadua, for the Chitrakoot Assembly seat. The Opposition parties allege that there are criminal cases against him.

It’s wrong to say that Dadua’s son has a criminal background. The charges against him are of political nature. Even while Dadua was alive, Veer Singh had severed links with his father. He never lived with Dadua. He had been a sincere worker and was a panchayat pramookh. Let our rivals show the criminal charges against him.

BSP supremo Mayawati is trying to remind the electorate of the “goonda raj” and the poor law and order situation during the SP’s rule.
If elected, we will provide a government with zero tolerance for criminals. As far as Ms Mayawati’s charges are concerned, let me remind her that the criminals were BSP MLAs, arrested on charges of rape. Ms Mayawati had promised to bring out a list of criminals associated with the SP. In the last five years, she has not been able to do so. It is, in fact, during her rule that atrocities against dalits
continued unabated.

It seems that the Congress has taken a head start as far consolidation of the Muslim vote bank is concerned, particularly over the reservation issue, where the party has been talking of 4.5 per cent minority quota within the OBC.

We are for reservation of Muslims, but it should be proportionate to the population. We will fight for a constitutional amendment from the Centre. We will implement all recommendations of the Sachar Committee and Ranganath Commission, which can be done at the state level.

But in your state, poverty remains an issue, where the poor do not get benefits. It also happened during your tenure.

We will take care to bring the marginal farmers into the ambit of farmers’ issues. They will be covered under the unemployment and pension scheme, while special focus will be given to ensuring that they avail of the benefits of BPL and Antyodaya cards.

What kind of a government do you intend to provide.

Let me state very clearly that our government would be 200 per cent development-oriented. We will ensure that every girl child has `30,000 in her account after passing her 12th board exams and `50,000 in her account after completing her graduation. We will address the issues of farmers. They do not get the prices of paddy at par with their counterparts in Punjab and Haryana. Also, we will waive the loans of the farmers. Our manifesto, which has been copied by the BJP and Congress, promises a development-oriented
government.