February 23, 1998

D P Yadav
BJP

Sambhal: Uttar Pradesh
Electorate: 10 lakh
Main Rival: Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP)

You can walk into my house anytime," allows Dharam Pal Yadav. "Can any of you do that with Mulayam?" Well, if you can walk into Mulayam Singh Yadav's house anytime, you had better not walk into the other Yadav's house. You see, they don't get along any more. In 1995, when D.P. deserted the BSP to join Mulayam, they became fast friends. But last month, when Mulayam reneged on his promise to give the sitting MP from Sambhal a Samajwadi Party ticket, they became bitter enemies.

The BJP is delighted to give the 47-year-old chhota Yadav a lift, helping him take on Mulayam, the bada Yadav. "If Mulayam considers the Yadavs and Muslims to be in his pocket, he is in for a rude awakening," thunders D.P. Ideology counts for nothing here, only tough talk. So D.P. continues his Mulayam-bashing at every meeting, and he attends 20 a day. "He is a back-stabber," D.P. screams at awed crowds. "He has done to me what even my worst enemies wouldn't."

Crowds are equally in awe of the chhota Yadav's firepower, not the verbal kind either. Among the rewards for his joining the BJP are six bodyguards, in addition to six of his own. After his elder brother's gruesome death in January, he has beefed up the security, and drives around in a bullet-proof Ambassador. He'll have to ensure it's enough protection against the wily bada Yadav.

-- Javed M. Ansari

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