Only SP MLAs feast on CM's buffet

LUCKNOW: Even sumptuous delicacies served by chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav these days fail to lure his political opponents. On Monday evening when Yadav hosted a dinner to the members of the council of ministers, legislators and some senior officials, he had to contend with the company of his ministers, party MLAs apart from a paltry few Congress leaders.The guests many of whom started coming into much before the dinner time, seemed quite happy over smooth functioning of the Vidhan Sabha which saw the passage of budgetary demands without a whimper." There is no threat to the government as it was doing commendable work" , said one minister to the other with the CM's hearing range. The chief minister in the company of his flock looked virtually like a feudal lord hardly interested in Lohia's fabled "vani-swatantrata" (freedom of speech within the party). When the 5 Kalidas Marg was a buzz with all and mighty of the ruling coalition, food and civil supplies minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhhaiya enjoyed a very special attention. Singh's entry at the venue captivated everyone present and many instantly stood up to accord him a grand welcome. Obviously many Samajwadi party leaders who might have spent their best years in this party were visibly envious of him. The absence of the opposition MLAs virtually converted the occasion into merely a colourless party affair. Some legislators were heard suggesting that since all legislative business was over, there was no need to prolong the budget session. One could clearly see that Yadav's towering stature kept his party MLAs on the guard. None of the ministers or MLAs dared to raise any uncomfortable query. Till this correspondent hanged around, an uncanny silence had enveloped the venue.