Daily News and Analysis
New Delhi, Apr 21: The fourth phase of the crucial Uttar Pradesh polls is near, but there are no takers for the fiery George Fernandes. He has been left high and dry by his own party, the BJP and friend Mulayam Singh reducing him to a political pariah.
His party, Janata Dal (United), does not want him, neither the BJP nor the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of which he is the convener. The Samajwadi Party, which he has been wooing, too has ditched the stormy petrel of Indian politics.
For the first time in his life, the 77-year-old Fernandes is sitting idle at his Krishna Menon Marg residence at a time when heartland Uttar Pradesh is roiling over the assembly elections. There was a time when the veteran socialist and erstwhile trade unionist, known for his fiery speeches, was the most sought after leader for election campaigns.
His party colleagues and associates squarely put the blame on Fernandes for the political isolation. Asked why he is not campaigning in UP, Fernandes, who has of late not been keeping good health, said: “Nobody invited me.”
Asked if even his friend Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav did not solicit his help as Amar Singh was opposed to the idea, Fernandes said: “Amar Singh thought the SP may lose Muslim votes if I campaigned.”
After Sharad Yadav replaced him as JDU president, a miffed Fernandes launched a blistering attack on Yadav and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. He even toyed with the idea of quitting the JDU even as he hobnobbed with the SP and Mulayam Singh.
While SP leaders fear that Muslims may not welcome Fernandes, the JDU and the BJP kept him out of UP fearing that he may end up praising Mulayam rather than campaign for them.
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