The two Yadav chieftains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar — Mulayam Singh Yadav and lalu Yadav — entered into a new alliance when the latter came to the State capital with ‘shagun’ for his youngest daughter’s marriage with Mulayam’s grandson Tej Pratap.
“This alliance is pucca. Cement ka jod hai tutega nahi (… it is bonded by cement. It will not break),” lalu Yadav told the reporters at portico of 5, Vikramaditya Marg on Sunday when he came along with his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejaswi Yadav with marriage proposal of his daughter.
lalu, in his inimical style said, “We have brought my youngest daughter Raj lakshmi’s shagun for marriage with Netaji’s grandson Tej Pratap. We are entering into a new partnership which will continue till ages.”
He and Mulayam’s family members stood there at the portico for few minutes giving an opportunity to the photographers to click the family picture. This is just the beginning. There will be more such family pictures of the RJD chief and the Samajwadi Party chief posing with each other at the wedding ceremony of Tej Pratap and Raj lakshmi.
“There are many programmes lined for near future. The engagement would be on December 16 in New Delhi. It will be held at a farmhouse outside Delhi,” he said.
When asked, When is the marriageIJ lalu replied, “Yeh hum kaise bataen. Yeh to panditji batayenge.” “But it would be soon,” he added. Sources in the family said that marriage is likely to take place in February, 2015.
The shagun ceremony was carried out at the drawing room of 5, Vikramaditya Marg. Tejaswi Yadav and Rabri Yadav presented gifts to the Tej Pratap while lalu and Mulayam shared light moments with Ram Gopal Yadav.
Tej Pratap, son of Ranveer Singh, had won Mainpuri bye-elections after Mulayam vacated the seat. The news of marriage coming days after the announcement that Mulayam and lalu will come together to reincarnate the Janata Dal, is being viewed by the political class as the prelude to the mega merger that the Janata Dal breakaways are planning.
The two party chiefs had split during the 1990s for leadership of the Mandal classes and Mulayam had even publicly regretted when lalu vetoed his name for prime ministership in the United Front Government in 1997. The coming together of lalu and Mulayam in relationship is likely to erase bitter memories of what happened during the 1990s.
“When we have joined hand we will chart out a new political history,” lalu Yadav said. “The communal forces who have come to power by making false promises will be kicked out of power,” he said. Mulayam, however, stayed from making any political statement. “I welcome laluji and all those who have come with him with an open heart,” he said.