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Journalism of Courage
In the midst of one of the most bitterly fought state elections ever and with a hung Assembly likely, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav today went into a campaign overdrive. Addressing a rally at Islamia Inter College in Bareilly, he managed to bring together a host of leaders from across the country who appealed to the voters to bring back the SP to power even as they severely criticised the UPA for Central policies, the Congress on issues concerning the minorities and advised the Left on the need of a third front.
Those who shared the platform with Mulayam included Chandrababu Naidu, S Bangarappa and Om Prakash Chautala, former chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Haryana, respectively; Asom Gana Parishad general secretary Vrindavan Goswami; former Union defence minister Natwar Singh; Congress MP from Madhya Pradesh Ubaidullah Azmi; and Samajwadi Party MPs Jaya Prada, Amar Singh and Jaya Bachchan.
Although former chief minister of Tamil Nadu and AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa could not make it to the event due to the jeep blast in Senthur yesterday, which claimed 17 lives, she sent her blessings for Mulayam and his party.
Bangarappa said the time would come soon when the Left Front would realise the need to have a third front to come up at the national level as a strong and viable alternative for replacing the UPA government. He asked the voters to keep national interest in mind while casting their votes in the present elections. He said it was not the appeal of an individual Bangarappa alone, but of the entire south India.
While attacking UPA on issues of inflation, unemployment, minorities and communalism, the leaders termed Mulayam and his party as secular in true spirit. Natwar Singh said the UP elections would underline to which direction the Central Government would go, besides who would be the next President of India.
8220;It would be an end for both NDA and UPA the moment Mulayam became chief minister again,8221; said Chautala while warning the Left Front for its support to the UPA government.
The leaders felt the time had come when the Left should remove the secular facade from the face of the Congress and expose its real communal face. To reason this, Azmi asked why the Central Government was stressing on enforcing President8217;s rule in UP whereas it never even talked of the same in Gujarat.
Bareilly, the headquarters of Ruhailkhand, is dominated by Muslims and Jats.
8216;Kunwari Maya, Kunware Atal ka siyasi nikah8217;
8226; Kunwari Mayawati and Kunware Atal Bihari Vajpayee have undergone their siyasi nikah political marriage thrice. Thrice they have said kubool hai I accept. Now we should not give them a chance to go for the fourth one.
Amar Singh
8226; Bareilly holds a special meaning for me as my father-in-law and mother-in-law had met each other for the first time in this city.
Jaya Bachchan
8226; Leaders of national level are here and you party workers are shouting my name. Aap kehto ho Mulayam tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare saath hain. Main to sangharsh kar raha hoon. Aap kya ker rahe hain?
Mulayam Singh Yadav
