Few days ago, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh played host to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his colleagues in the BJP, L.K. Advani and Jaswant Singh, besides former national security advisor Brajesh Mishra. The issues such as the Indo-US nuclear deal, relations with Pakistan and other neighbouring countries would have come for discussion. Unfortunately, neither Sonia Gandhi nor Rajnath Singh was present. Why can’t they be mature enough to meet and discuss the national issues? Why can’t they extend the cooperation further in the interest of the nation that is and must be more important than the individual’s ego or their political parties?

Today UP has gone worse than even Bihar, though Mulayam Singh Yadav may go on denying it and so will Amar Singh. After seeing how the ministers are involved in criminal and anti-national activities on all TV channels and in every media, it is difficult to visualise any development based politics in UP. I wish Mulayam had handed over the reign to his MBA son. He would have brought some semblance of governance because of his education. But perhaps he can’t do that, as his brother, famous for the recent insane-like statement on Noida massacre, is his right and left hand.

If Mulayam would have been rational and believed in doing some development work, the face of UP would have been different by now. He could have used the presence of many institutes of national importance available in the state to further the development of the state to come in competition with the Southern states. After playing the role of spoiler in case of Taj-Expressway connecting Noida to Agra and many development projects of Noida, for many like me, he is just a villain in the development story of the largest state of the country.

Noida and Greater Noida have all possibilities and potentials to become Bangalore and Hyderabad, but the Chief Minister must have a vision and mission for bringing about the change. In the same way, Lucknow- Kanpur- Allahabad corridor as well as Mirzapur-Varanasi-Mugalsarai could have been developed as high-tech industrial belts. IITs, IIMs, and BHU could have been used to bring about the transformation by effectively involving them.

With forthcoming assembly election, the people of state will get another chance to decide for the future of the state. I happen to agree with Lalu Yadav that Rahul Gandhi should take the lead to run the campaign. And he must be projected as the chief minister of UP. May be the young man with all his vigour can bring a change in this state that is the most backward on all parameters of development today. It will give him experience to get promoted for the higher position. For a change, why can’t all the rightist parties including BJP agree to try this young man of the next generation? I also would have liked that all the younger MPs of all parties must participate in this campaign. Let there be a declared or understood alliance of the two national parties.

I don’t see any future for UP with either SP or BSP. Even the communities and classes they claim to represent will also not be safe under their rules. And Nithari or Kavita Chaudhry episodes will keep on repeating with names changed.

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Maya’s patchwork politics
Small could be powerful<