The ‘chhoti bahu’ of Uttar Pradesh’s most powerful political family, Aparna Yadav, is ready to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election if her father-in law Mulayam Singh Yadav asks her to do so. She will contest the poll on the ticket of the party of ‘chacha’ or ‘bhaiya’, depending on Netaji’s choice.
“Yes, I am willing to contest the Lok Sabha election if Netaji (as Mulayam Singh Yadav is known) asks me to do so. I have two or three constituencies in mind from where I can contest but the final choice will be of Netaji,” Aparna told ‘The Pioneer’ in a free-wheeling interview in which she talked about politics, family feud and her passion for music and social work.
Aparna had contested the 2017 assembly elections from Cantonment seat of Lucknow but had lost to Cabinet minister in Yogi Adityanath government, Rita Bahuguna Joshi.
“If I contest (the Lok Sabha poll) it will not be from Lucknow for sure. It will be some other constituency. I have something in mind but the call has to be taken by Netaji. I contested the assembly poll only after Netaji asked me to do so and now also I will abide by Netaji’s order,” Aparna said.
The big question is if Aparna contests the election, will it be from ‘bhaiya’ Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party or the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party of ‘chacha’ Shivpal Singh Yadav?
“I am with Mulayam Singh Yadav and at present he is in Samajwadi Party,” she said, without directly admitting that she would contest the poll on SP symbol.
Aparna gave a diplomatic answer when asked if Mulayam gave her freedom to choose between ‘chacha’ and ‘bhaiya’, with whom she would prefer to go. “I know that by that time Netaji will take a call. He will decide about my political future. I know one thing, that he loves me like a daughter. I do not have words to express his love for me. Let him take the decision. He is more experienced,” she said.
Aparna further said: “Netaji is torn between the two (Akhilesh and Shivpal). He loves his son and also his brother. When he was national president of the party, he ensured that the family remained united. The family has fallen apart after he was divested of his position in the party. The feud in the family started after two people, with different political thought pattern, did not gel. What happened thereafter is now on public platform. ‘Chacha’ has parted ways and it will obviously have an impact on the Lok Sabha election.”
The ‘chhoti bahu’ admitted that things would have been different had the party’s presidentship been given back to Netaji after the assembly election as promised by Akhilesh Yadav.
“If someone had said something, he should have honoured his words. Why he did not do so, only he can tall,” she said and added, “One should realise that people still vote for Samajwadi Party only because of Mulayam Singh Yadav. There is a miniscule young generation in the party which thinks otherwise. The sooner they realise the fact that Netaji is still the fulcrum of the party, the better it is for them.”
About Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party alliance, Aparna said if the party (SP) wanted to go for tie-up, it should not be limited to one election.
“Top leaders might come on one platform, but what about the workers at ground level because both the parties are at loggerheads. The alliance should not be stitched only to gain political mileage. There should be substance to it,” she said.
The question meanders to her contesting election and her past experience of electoral battle. “The defeat in the assembly election has made me a better human. Lincon had said ‘jo haar sikha sakti hai woh jeet nahi’. One who can digest defeat can handle success in a better way. This is a history that people who get success early in life become arrogant,” she said.
“I can now say that I am better placed to contest election because of the experience I had in the assembly polls and my understanding of electoral politics,” she said.
