Mulayam Singh Yadav: Veteran politician and three-time CM of largest Indian state dies at 82

Mulayam Singh Yadav, the three-time chief minister of India’s largest state of Uttar Pradesh and former federal defence minister, died at the age of 82 on Monday, according to reports.

Yadav was remembered by his colleagues as a “soldier for democracy” and a “grassroots leader”.

A three-day state mourning has been declared in Uttar Pradesh for the veteran leader whose mortal remains will be brought back to his birthplace Saifai from capital Delhi.

He was admitted to the Medanta Hospital near Delhi where he battled for his life for the past few weeks. He was put on lifesaving drugs, and later on a ventilator, as his condition deteriorated.

“My respected father and everyone’s leader is no more - Shri Akhilesh Yadav,” his son and political successor Akhilesh Yadav said announcing his father’s demise on Monday morning.

Yadav began his political career in his 20s to become the founder of Samajwadi Party (SP), a regional and one of the largest and most influential political parties in Uttar Pradesh.

Fondly known by his followers as “Netaji” (a Hindi word for respected politician), Yadav leaves behind a rich as well as controversial legacy for his son and party members in one of the most politically challenging states.

Prime minister Narendra Modi led the tributes to the leader, remembering him as a person who worked for a stronger India during his time as defence minister.

“Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji distinguished himself in UP and national politics. He was a key soldier for democracy during the Emergency. As Defence Minister, he worked for a stronger India. His Parliamentary interventions were insightful and emphasised on furthering national interest,” Mr Modi said.

India’s main opposition Congress party said his “death was an irreparable loss to Indian politics”.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh said despite being a political rival, Yadav had maintained good relations with everyone.

“He was a grassroots leader who played a prominent role in the politics of Uttar Pradesh for many decades,” Mr Singh said.

A teacher by profession and a trained wrestler, Yadav belonged to a family of farmers with no political background. He became influenced by the writings of socialist Ram Manohar Lohia.

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He associated himself and his party with the causes of Muslims and the formerly untouchable oppressed castes, who make up a sizable minority in Uttar Pradesh. He went on to establish himself as an Other Backward Classes (OBCs) stalwart.

He was the youngest member of the state assembly to contest elections in 1967 for a socialist party, getting elected in 1974 and 1977, a period of intense social and political ferment. But during his second term as a legislator, then-prime minister Indira Gandhi declared Emergency — a period regarded as a dark phase of Indian politics — and he was jailed like hundreds of other leaders.

Almost 10 years later, he rose on the power ladder to become a minister for the first time. He became the chief minister of the state in 1989, which culminated with his party formally separating from the Congress.

He served two other terms from 1993 to 1995, and from 2003 to 2007. In another political victory, his party won the election with a majority in 2012 but the SP supremo handed the baton of power to his son, Akhilesh Yadav.

In 1996, he got the first major break in mainstream politics when he was appointed India’s defence minister in a United Front coalition government, by then prime minister HD Dewe Gowda.

He came close to his dream of becoming prime minister in 1996 when his name was floated by senior leaders of the United Front. It is believed that fellow politicians Lalu Prasad Yadav and Sharad Yadav had raised objections.

Yadav suffered electoral loss after his first term as chief minister with his decision to order security forces at the Ayodhya mosque to fire upon protesters, who were mostly Hindu, in October 1990, a period when the state was witnessing a sharp communal polarisation in the wake of BJP’s aggressive campaign to build a Hindu temple at Babri mosque site.

He also committed several political gaffes, including one where he advocated for a rape accused, saying capital punishment should not be given as “boys make mistakes” during the 2014 campaign. Following a massive backlash, he clarified that anti-rape laws should be applied carefully.

He remained on the sidelines of the politics after handing over power to his son but expelled his son briefly from the party for “not listening to his advice” in 2017 before revoking him, a fallout that cost the party electoral defeat at the hands of BJP.