Agra is closely connected to Etawah. The treacherous ravines of the rivers Yamuna and Chambal define the social life of this geographical region that is known for spawning a culture of “guns and retribution”, somewhat akin to the Sicilian Mafiosi that had abiding faith in the maxim that “revenge is a dish best served cold”.
The BJP’s tallest leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee belonged to Agra, while the Samajwadi Party supremo was born in the Saifai village of Etawah. Both pursued a distinctly different brand of politics, with good reason. Vajpayee’s family migrated to the Gwalior district of neighbouring Madhya Pradesh and was less exposed to the oppressive social order of the Etawah-Agra region.
On the other hand, Mulayam Singh Yadav fought his way to the top by engaging his adversaries in no-hold-barred battle.
Unfortunately Mulayam’s son and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav seems to be oblivious to this brief history of his hometown. And there are all indications that he has been emulating Vajpayee at the expense of his father.
Vajpayee was often praised by his opponents as a “decent and right man” in the “wrong party (BJP)”. In fact, this imagery helped the BJP come out of its political isolation at an early stage.
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