How rivalry among Yadavs cost Mulayam Singh Yadav the PM post

The rivalry among Yadav leaders had cost Mulayam Singh Yadav a shot at the Prime Minister’s post in 1996.

After VP Singh turned down the offer to be the Prime Minister and CPI(M) decided against Jyoti Basu occupying the top post, the then CPI(M) General Secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet had suggested that Mulayam could head the United Front government.

The 13-day Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had fallen and the Congress had refused to take the leadership role in forming the government. It was when the United Front came into picture.

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Surjeet lobbied hard for Mulayam, then 56-year-old, but neither Lalu Prasad Yadav nor Sharad Yadav were impressed with the idea. Lalu was also in the contention but the fodder scam had put brakes on his ambitions.

Both Sharad Yadav and Lalu appeared to have felt that the rise of a fellow Yadav, that too from the Janata Dal family, would diminish their stature. Mulayam used to believe that Sharad Yadav, Lalu, V P Singh and N Chandrababu Naidu nixed his bid for the top post.

Surjeet and Mulayam shared a bond for long. To Mulayam, both Surjeet and Basu were like his mentors. After the death of Basu, Mulayam had written in an article that it was he who suggested Basu's name for prime ministership in 1996 and not VP Singh as claimed in several reports.

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Mulayam also has the credit of suggesting the name of APJ Abdul Kalam first as President in 2002.

While Mulayam was out of the race for Prime Ministership, H D Deve Gowda’s name got the support from others and he assumed office. When the Gowda government fell, Mulayam was overlooked and IK Gujral became the Prime Minister.

In both the governments, he became Defence Minister and it was during his stint in the Gowda government that the Sukhoi fighter jet deal with Russia was finalised.

Old timers also recall that former Prime Minister Charan Singh used to call him ‘Nanhe Napoleon’ (Child Napoleon).