Actress-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan on Friday snubbed the Samajwadi Party (SP) by declining its offer for a Rajya Sabha seat, barely two days after the party appeared to have weaned her away from old friend, Amar Singh.
A stunned SP leadership confirmed that Jaya informed them about her decision “to take a break from politics”, in a move
being seen as a victory for Singh, who was expelled from the party in February.
Top SP leaders, including party chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav, were at a loss of words to explain why the actress was nominated for the Upper House, given her close ties with Amar Singh.
Asked by reporters in Lucknow whether Jaya's husband, Amitabh could be behind her decision, a disappointed Yadav replied : “Amitabh Bachchan has never liked politics. He was elected for the Lok Sabha but after a brief period, he resigned from there."
Indications of SP having miscalculated the situation came in the form of Jaya’s silence following the announcement on Wednesday.
Her renomination to Rajya Sabha was being seen as a reward by the party for not siding with Singh, after his expulsion.
However, the Bachchan family's decision not to desert their decades-old family friend Singh appeared to be a result of the meeting between Amitabh and Singh in Mumbai on Thursday.
Her renomination to Rajya Sabha was being seen as a reward by the party for not siding with Singh, after his expulsion.
However, the Bachchan family's decision not to desert their decades-old family friend Singh appeared to be a result of the meeting between Amitabh and Singh in Mumbai on Thursday.
There were reports of relations being strained between the two recently, after Singh made his displeasure public on Jaya's continuation in the SP.
The blogs of both, Amitabh and Singh were silent on the issue.
Having lost out in this round, the SP hurriedly announced party spokesperson Mohan Singh’s name in Jaya's place, a known Amar Singh baiter.