http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Rahul-seeks-to-storm-Mulayams-bastion/articleshow/11087554.cms
Rahul seeks to storm Mulayam's bastion
Subodh Ghildiyal, TNN | Dec 13, 2011, 01.58AM IST
NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi will kick up dust in Uttar Pradesh afresh,
taking his campaign for Congress revival to the OBC-Muslim stronghold
in the central region, long considered the pocket borough of Samajwadi
Party boss Mulayam Singh Yadav.
The five-day foray, beginning Tuesday, is expected to nudge Gandhi to
focus his attack on the Yadav chieftain. This could test already
strained ties between Congress and SP at the Centre.
As if to quell any ambiguity, Rahul will kickstart the second leg of
his campaign from Gunnaur, an assembly seat in Sambhal once
represented by Mulayam, pass through the Lok Sabha constituencies of
his nephew Dharmendra Yadav (Badayun), son Akhilesh Yadav (Kannauj),
and Shahjahanpur which has an SP MP, before culminating in a rally of
'Most Backward Castes' in rural Kanpur.
Observers feel Rahul Gandhi's UP campaign is aimed at hurting Mulayam
Singh's bid to mobilize backwards and Muslims around the anti-BSP
sentiment. As if to drive home the point, Congress on Monday paraded
Samajwadi "defector" Rashid Masood as its prize catch, baring its
intent to hit Mulayam's recovery among Muslims following the
disastrous tie-up with 'saffron' Kalyan Singh during LS polls. The SP
ranks are already smarting under Rahul's attack during the launch of
his campaign from Phulpur, where he dubbed SP and BSP as equally
corrupt.
SP is not resenting Rahul's focus on it, suspicious as it is of
Mayawati's attempt to frame the coming polls as a "Rahul versus Maya"
affair. It sees Mayawati's indulgence of the Congress heir apparent's
attacks with aggressive ripostes is aimed at keeping voters from
gravitating towards SP, her main challenger. The resultant split in
anti-BSP votes will work to Mayawati's advantage, SP strategists
reason. Rahul has his own reasons to escalate the offensive against
SP. The Congress cannot be seen as soft on any of the principal poles,
lest it is edged out by the main opposition party in an anti-BSP
surge, as happened in favour of Mayawati in 2007. The trip through the
OBC-Muslim belt is critical to Mulayam's fortunes. The region has been
the launchpad for the post-Mandal surge of backward satraps, with the
'Mulayam vs Kalyan Singh' fight being the top draw of state politics
for over a decade.
Congress has much at stake in Rahul's second-phase campaign, as it
represents the party's new gambit on OBCs, MBCs and Muslims.
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