After about an hour, Jaya Prada, the Samajwadi Party Member of Parliament from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, emerged from Amar Singh's home in her swanky car. She told the media she had nothing to say about reports that her seat may be given to her rival Azam Khan. She pulled up the glass of her car as hordes of bearded and skullcap wearing men rushed to catch a glimpse of her.
Some even wanted to shake hands with her. But her car sped away. One person claimed that his leader had promised him that he would meet Jaya Prada here. He was disappointed.
Somebody from Amar Singh's home came out with stacks of a tabloid newspaper called Akbari. The bilingual newspaper in Hindi and Urdu looked glossy. Most people turned the pages here and there and came to the conclusion: "Apni hi party ka lagta hai. (This belongs to our party it seems)."
The newspaper contained everything that should be catered to a typical Muslim group. It spoke about how Muslims have been fooled by different political parties post-Independence to the Sachar Committee report, and about how Mayawati has a tacit alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party etc. The newspaper suggested that Muslims should vote for a 'secular' party because it is a question of their security and their existence.
But the one thing that had maximum effect on that small group was the large photograph of Jaya Prada printed in the newspaper. Clad in a twinkling pink sari, the actress looked fabulous. Her beauty was the most debated topic there -- more than other serious issues concerning the community. It seems people have learned their lesson after being fooled over and over again.
Image: The crowd waits for Amar Singh outside his New Delhi home.
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