The Mulayam Singh Yadav government’s act of suspending five officials after communal violence in Mau—those suspended include the divisional commissioner and DIG—is a panic response to reports of UP Governor T V Rajeswar planning a visit to the riot-torn town.The Governor was planning a visit tomorrow but late at night, Luv Verma, Principal Secretary to the Governor, told The Indian Express: ‘‘The visit has been postponed.’’Mulayam Singh has had an uneasy relationship with the Governor. Rajeswar, a former Intelligence Bureau (IB) director, has never missed an opportunity to exercise his authority—be it the return of the bill for the establishment of Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Urdu University at Rampur or the removal of vice-chancellors of four universities or the disqualification of SP’s Aurai MLA Uday Bhan Singh following conviction in a murder case.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), trying to regain lost ground and shed the label of a friend of Mulayam, has seized upon the Mau violence to stir passions.Though UP police have detained former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, state BJP president Kesari Nath Tripathi and leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Lalji Tandon, en route to Mau, the party has managed to send a signal to the people that it is ‘‘concerned’’. The party has promptly sought the dismissal of Mulayam. ‘‘We want immediate imposition of President’s rule,’’ BJP Vice-President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told the Express.What has made Mulayam an easy target for the BJP is the controversial role played by local SP MLA Mukhtar Ansari and his supporters.The Congress has tried to match BJP, by sending former Chief Minister Ram Naresh Yadav to the area. He too has been prevented by the police from entering Mau.‘‘We will soon send a formal team,’’ UP Congress president Salman Khurshid told The Express. Unlike BJP, Khurshid did not demand Mulayam’s dismissal. ‘‘As a ruling party leader, I cannot demand something which I am not sure would be accepted by the Centre.’’
