Bend it like the SP

Is the Samajwadi Party becoming the David Beckham of Indian politics? Beckham did not realise that a fling, no matter how enjoyable at the time, could rebound nastily on him when the other party went public with the details of their intimacy.

Is the Samajwadi Party becoming the David Beckham of Indian politics? Beckham did not realise that a fling, no matter how enjoyable at the time, could rebound nastily on him when the other party went public with the details of their intimacy. So it is with the poor Samajwadis, with the greedy BJP being cast as the avaricious Rebecca Loos in this saga. It is no secret that over the last few years, the SP has moderated its hostility towards its traditional rival. It prevented the Congress from taking office when the last BJP government fell and, according to the Congress at least, has developed a certain chumminess with the BJP. This new-found intimacy meant that the BJP did not mind when Mulayam Singh Yadav formed the government in UP and Samajwadi-Congress unity has never seemed like a real option.

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But now, the BJP sees an opportunity. All the opinion polls say that the battle for UP is close with the SP and the BJP running neck to neck. A difference of a few percentage points of the popular vote could push the BJP ahead in a score of seats. So, what better way for the BJP to hurt the SP than to reveal to the Samajwadis’ Muslim support base that perhaps the SP is not as faithful a consort as the Muslims think? This is why the BJP, like Rebecca Loos, has been busy telling the world about their intimacy, close ties and a possible permanent union. The hope is that Muslims will be so angered by this infidelity that they will rush into the arms of the Congress, which as a poor fourth in the UP race, doesn’t really worry the BJP too much.

Beckham responded to Loos’ charges with angry denials and public displays of affection to Victoria. Similarly, the SP is now claiming that the BJP is making all this up, that there was never any intimacy and that the party loves the Muslim vote bank. As far as we know, the approach has worked for Beckham. Loos may create as much mischief as she wants but Victoria seems to have stuck by Beckham. Will the Muslim community do the same for the SP? It is too early to say. But given the SP’s record, it could pull off a Beckham. After all, nobody can bend it like Amar Singh.