The other Mulayam Singh bahu: Modi Sarkar's unexpected admirer raises eyebrows in UP

It might make for a pretty picture, but everything is not all hunky-dory in Uttar Pradesh’s first family. While Akhilesh Yadav’s government in Uttar Pradesh is already battling detractors, there is ‘bahu’ trouble brewing in Lucknow’s 5, Vikramaditya Marg.

Second-time parliamentarian, Kannauj MP, mother of three and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s wife, Dimple Yadav is the individualistic one. But she also prefers to remain within the limits drawn by her husband and her father-in-law. The younger daughter-in-law, Aparna (Prateek Yadav’s wife) on the other hand, follows free will.

Recently, Aparna Yadav made headlines when she openly praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. Her comments raised a few eyebrows but the family’s lips were sealed. Considering the beating that Samajwadi Party took during the Lok Sabha elections, a few insiders were not too happy with the younger bahu  shooting off her mouth.

This report in The Indian Express said that the incident was a clear indication of the power struggle going on inside the Yadav family.

An unapologetic Aparna, who is still not a primary member of the party, embarrassed the party leadership further by saying that praising the Prime Minister was her individual decision and she was well within her rights.

The family patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, who  does not believe in women’s involvement in politics, is in quite a pickle.  According to this article in the Sunday Guardian, the party supremo was at unease when the younger son Prateek announced that his wife Aparna might be interested in joining politics. In fact, the senior Yadav objected to Dimple’s entry into politics.

“In fact, Mulayam wants Prateek to join politics. Now Prateek wants to stay away from politics and wants to launch his wife. This will certainly make Mulayam uncomfortable. Things are not going well in the Yadav family on this issue because Akhilesh doesn’t want any comparison in the family,” an SP leader on the condition of anonymity told Sunday Guardian said.

The Indian Express report also quoted Aparna Yadav saying that compared to her husband who leaned more towards business, she was not averse to politics.

“I am not contradicting the possibility (of joining politics). I have been a student of political science and have been a political observer for long," Aparna told Indian Express.

A report in The Times of India noted that Aparna, buoyed by her husband’s ambitions, is trying hard to find a foothold in the party. Speaking to TOI, a source close to the Yadav family said:

“That the younger couple has political aspirations is clear. Since they were denied an entry into electoral politics in 2014, they now appear to be in a hurry to contest the 2017 elections." 

A graduate from Manchester University, daughter of a former journalist Arvind Singh Bisht, Aparna Yadav   does not get as much traction as the elder bahu Dimple. The party members hail Dimple ‘Bhabhi’ and raise slogans whenever she appears during a party rally, the newspaper noted.

A veteran SP leader, SP Yadav speaking to The Indian Express said that Dimple has matured in politics.

“Earlier she (Dimple) was quite shy, but now she is mature. She raises sensitive issues in a good manner. She always respects party seniors and workers.”

But party members are not too aware of the younger daughter-in-law.

“We know her as a family member of our leader,” Yadav added.

But Aparna is making all efforts to change her image outside and within the party. According to the IE report, Aparna has hired a private PR agency and is getting involved in issues of women empowerment – an area which has been dominated by Dimple till now.