Prateek Yadav managed to steal a few headlines for himself over his flashy blue Lamborghini.
Lucknow:
As the epic feud between his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, and step-brother, Akhilesh Yadav, activated weeks of media coverage, Prateek Yadav managed to steal a few headlines for himself. First, there was the flashy blue Lamborghini, a five-crore Huracan, that he chose to drive through Lucknow while his family was trying to keep from falling apart which could have resulted in their Samajwadi Party doing the same. Then, the 27-year-old, in an Insta equivalent of flipping the bird, posted a photo of the car online with the hashtag - Blue Bolt. Last but far from least, was the decision of his wife, 26-year-old Aparna, a trained classical dancer, to run for office from Lucknow, where she's taking on political veteran Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who is a new entrant to the BJP after several decades with the Congress.
Prateek Yadav, still smarting from the criticism that one of the world's most expensive cars is incongruous with a family committed to socialism, told news agency ANI, "I bought the car on loan. I have all the papers, I pay income tax. Why the controversy?"
The owner of a vast real estate empire that includes high-end gyms, where he is often seen pumping, also said, "If I had invested 5 crores in property, then no one would have said anything."
That is not, perhaps, a false claim. But timing is everything. And Prateek Yadav chose to parade his Lamborghini exactly when Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and father Mulayam Singh were fighting each other over a cycle. Not a specific cycle, but a generic one - their party symbol. Akhilesh Yadav, 43, wanted to call the shots for his campaign to be re-elected. Mulayam Singh, 77, was invested heavily in marginalising his older son and deciding the party's candidates. Eventually, it was Akhilesh Yadav who prevailed and a somewhat deflated Mulayam Singh has come around to backing his campaign.
But the decision to place Aparna Yadav as the candidate for Lucknow Cantonment was the patriarch's and one that the Chief Minister accepted as part of their terms of reconciliation. "Aparna will win, she has already done a lot of work for the area," said Prateek Yadav.
It is Mulayam Singh's second wife, Sadhana Gupta, who insisted that Aparna Yadav be allowed some political space, allegedly because several years ago, she was firmly told that her son, Prateek Yadav, could not be granted a political debut because Akhilesh Yadav needed to be established as the socialist leader's successor.
The owner of a vast real estate empire that includes high-end gyms, where he is often seen pumping, also said, "If I had invested 5 crores in property, then no one would have said anything."
That is not, perhaps, a false claim. But timing is everything. And Prateek Yadav chose to parade his Lamborghini exactly when Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and father Mulayam Singh were fighting each other over a cycle. Not a specific cycle, but a generic one - their party symbol. Akhilesh Yadav, 43, wanted to call the shots for his campaign to be re-elected. Mulayam Singh, 77, was invested heavily in marginalising his older son and deciding the party's candidates. Eventually, it was Akhilesh Yadav who prevailed and a somewhat deflated Mulayam Singh has come around to backing his campaign.
But the decision to place Aparna Yadav as the candidate for Lucknow Cantonment was the patriarch's and one that the Chief Minister accepted as part of their terms of reconciliation. "Aparna will win, she has already done a lot of work for the area," said Prateek Yadav.
Aparna Yadav with husband Prateek Yadav after filling nomination papers for UP elections.
The family has 22 members now engaged in politics. Prateek Yadav says count him out. "I myself am not at all interested in politics. If I had to become a politician, I would have done so long ago. I am focused on my business," he said.
It is Mulayam Singh's second wife, Sadhana Gupta, who insisted that Aparna Yadav be allowed some political space, allegedly because several years ago, she was firmly told that her son, Prateek Yadav, could not be granted a political debut because Akhilesh Yadav needed to be established as the socialist leader's successor.
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