MSY, Amar at Jaya son wedding, speculation rife

In politics, private functions almost always send out public signals.

No wonder, this month’s second ‘reunion’ of Samawjadi Party (SP) national president Mulayam Singh Yadav with former party national general secretary Amar Singh and former MP Jaya Prada in Hyderabad on Sunday has sparked speculation. This may not quite be good news for Amar Singh’s bête noire Azam Khan, the Muslim face of the party.

The SP chief, accompanied by Amar Singh, went to the southern city to attend the wedding function of Jaya Prada’s son Siddharth.

Jaya Prada went to the airport to receive Mulayam. She, along with her family members, felicitated the SP chief with angvastram (stole). The groom and bride touched the feet of the former UP chief minister who told a regional TV channel, “I came here to bless the couple, but I am being felicitated more. I am overwhelmed.”

Only eight days ago, both Amar Singh and Jaya Prada not only made an appearance at Mulayam’s birthday eve function at his ancestral village Saifai but also hogged a considerable share of the limelight.

The SP had sacked both Amar and Jaya in February 2010 over “indiscipline and anti-party activities”. Then, Amar Singh began meeting Mulayam and his family nearly two years ago. The frequency of the interactions increased of late. Jaya Prada made her first public appearance with the Yadavs on the eve of Mulayam’s birthday on November 21. So angry was Azam Khan with the appearance of Amar and Jaya at the Saifai event that he went on to say: “When a storm blows, some kachra (garbage) gets swept in”.

For nearly two years, there has been speculation that Amar Singh might be re-inducted into the party. Similarly, there is a theory that Jaya might be nominated to the UP Vidhan Parishad soon.

Ever since he began interacting with Mulayam again, Amar Singh has been reiterating that there is no question of his returning to the party fold.

He says he meets the Yadavs out of his inseparable family bond. Nevertheless, there are rumours that the SP will nominate him to the Rajya Sabha. Azam Khan recently told journalists that Amar was getting close (to Mulayam) to get a Rajya Sabha berth.

There was no love lost between Azam and Amar even when both were in the party at the same time till May 2009. That was when the SP sacked Khan.

Thereafter, Amar Singh was expelled from the SP in 2010. Sometime after that, Azam was re-inducted into the party on an emotional note and restored to the national general secretary’s post.

Recently, Amar Singh, in reply to a question, told HT: “Now there is no enmity between Azam and me. Jaya Prada’s presence in Rampur was the thorn in Azam’s flesh. But that chapter is over as she is no more the Rampur MP and did not contest the last election from there.”

FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN SPECULATION THAT AMAR SINGH MIGHT BE RE-INDUCTED INTO THE PARTY.