Amar Singh

Akhilesh, Azam and Amar

Prashun Bhaumik |

Amar Singh

By Sanjiv Acharya

Current was the first to report, through my column a month ago, that efforts to stage the return of Azam Khan to the Samajwadi Party were in full swing, in spite of Amar Singh’s loud claims that he would quit the SP if that were to happen.

At that time when there was not even a whisper of Amar’s rift with Mulayam Singh in the media or in political circles, I had written that because Azam Khan had himself confirmed that some leaders in the SP were in touch with him and wanted him back in the party. Azam Khan had said that since the SP had openly disassociated itself with former BJP chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh, he had no objection to rejoining the party of which he is a founder member.

Azam Khan had been expelled from the party for six years for revolting against the leadership’s decision to join hands with Kalyan Singh and to field actress Jayapradha as its candidate from Rampur in UP. Khan had left no stone unturned in his effort to ensure Jayapradha’s defeat and had unleashed a vitriolic campaign against Amar Singh.

Now a prominent SP leader and member of parliament has confirmed to me that Netaji (Mulayam Singh) himself is taking a keen interest to re-induct Khan. The move is being seen as the last hammer blow that will break the relationship between Amar and Mulayam.

Sources say that the plan to bring Azam Khan back was hatched by Ram Gopal Yadav, Mohan Singh and Janeshwar Mishra, which is why Amar Singh attacked the three of them in his blog. At that time he was confident of his relationship with Mulayam and was sure of Netaji’s support in crushing any move against him. However, Amar Singh overlooked one vital person. Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi MP and Mulayam’s son and heir.

Akhilesh turned against Amar after the defeat of his wife, Dimple, in the Ferozabad bye election at the hands of Raj Babbar, a former member of the SP. At that time Akhilesh had said that Babbar was against them because of Amar Singh and that Rahul Gandhi too took a personal interest in the election because of Amar Singh’s continuous statements criticizing the Congress and the Gandhis. Akhilesh was the one who was able to convince his father that Amar was indeed a liability and not an asset to the party.

With the Samajwadi chapter of his life almost closed Amar Singh has been scouting for another political home. His efforts to network with the Congress were quickly stymied by a senior AICC member and a member of the Rajya Sabha close to the first family who, it is rumoured, had the assistance of Mukesh Ambani himself and his lieutenants in Delhi.

Sometime back Amar Singh had a meeting with LK Advani, ostensibly to discuss the Liberhan Commission report but if there was something more beyond the stated agenda the RSS has always been a red signal to him.

So it seems the only home left for Amar Singh is the one built by Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel…