US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI6844

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 006844 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/31/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, OVIP, OTRA, EAID, PREL, ASEC, IN, Indian Domestic Politics 
SUBJECT: CONGRESS PARTY: CLINTON DINNER IN BAD TASTE 
 
Classified By: A/DCM Geoff Pyatt for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1.  (C) Summary: Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma told the 
press on September 5 that a lavish September 7 dinner planned 
by Congress adversary Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam 
Singh Yadav in honor of former President Clinton in the midst 
of an fatal outbreak in U.P. of Japanese Encephalitis shows a 
lack of sensitivity.  Sharma suggested that the Clinton trip 
be postponed.  Some of our interlocutors suggest the Congress 
is concerned that presence at the dinner of a former U.S. 
president may embolden UPA opposition and bless their efforts 
to unseat Congress, increasing the risk that a "Third Front" 
could challenge the government.  It is clear President 
Clinton's planned Lucknow visit on September 7 has riled 
Congress political sensitivities, illustrating the continued 
centrality of U.P. in India's domestic political scene.  End 
Summary. 
 
Congress Up In Arms Over Clinton Visit 
-------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (C) FPOTUS Clinton's planned September 7th visit to 
Lucknow, sponsored by Congress opponent and UP Chief Minister 
Mulayam Singh Yadav (along with movie star Amitabh Bachchan 
and business tycoon Amar Singh through the Uttar Pradesh 
Development Council) has the Congress leadership concerned. 
The Asian Age reported on September 6 that Sonia Gandhi, who 
has strained relations with all three U.P. personalities, 
turned down a dinner invitation in Clinton's honor being 
hosted by Mulayam.  Former PM Vajpayee was also invited but 
has yet to decide on attending the event.  Congress spokesman 
Anand Sharma stated, "Any sensitive government would have 
taken the situation seriously and postponed such a lavish 
party in the backdrop of the fast-spreading Japanese 
Encephalitis disease in which one child (in U.P.) is dying 
every hour." 
 
3.  (SBU) Congress Official Rajesh Dixit reiterated to us on 
September 6 that the lavish dinner on September 7 in Lucknow 
for FPOTUS Bill Clinton would be in bad taste in light of the 
fatal outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis in the state.  He 
indicated that Clinton should postpone his trip to Lucknow in 
light of the situation.  Congress Members of Parliament Rajiv 
Sharma and Salam Kurshid also told A/DCM on September 5 that 
they were alarmed by Clinton's acceptance of the invitation 
from such outspoken opponents of the UPA government and 
warned that the visit would be used by the opposition for 
political gain.  A/DCM responded by explaining that former 
President Clinton is traveling as a private citizen, and 
aside from security, the U.S. Government is not involved with 
the trip. 
 
The Story Behind The Scenes 
--------------------------- 
 
4.  (C) The official host of the dinner, the Uttar Pradesh 
Development Council, was formed in late 2003 at the behest of 
Mulayam and Amar Singh to propel the industrial development 
of the state.  Many in Congress and elsewhere consider 
Mulayam a thug who uses threats and violence to ensure he 
gets votes.  Our interlocutors also assert that Mulayam is 
the dirtiest of Indian politicians and a rampant bribe-taker. 
 Recently, the state took out local and national newspaper 
ads stating that Uttar Pradesh is undergoing "unparalleled 
progress" under the leadership of businessman Amar Singh. 
However, detractors argue that the UPDC has failed to bring 
any major investment into the state and its industrialist 
members, Subroto Roy, Adi Godrej, Anil Ambani, Amitabh 
Bachchan and others used it as a tool to solidify control 
over the state's economy and consolidate their own fortunes. 
 
The Dreaded "Third Front" 
------------------------- 
 
5.  (C) Delhi continues to buzz with rumors that Mulayam and 
Amar Singh are working with CPI-M leaders and big businessmen 
such as Subroto Roy to try to develop the dreaded "third 
front" to challenge the UPA government's hold on power.  Our 
interlocutors suggest that by cobbling together the Left and 
enough opportunistic regional parties they could garner 
sufficient votes in parliament to challenge the UPA's thin 
plurality.  They argue that the publicity created by a visit 
to the U.P. triumvirate by former President Clinton could 
boost their prospects for this third front, a concern echoed 
to us by senior Congress interlocutors. 
 
Comment: Swimming in Murky Waters 
---------------------------------- 
 
6.  (C) Whether the rumors that FPOTUS Clinton's visit will 
be used by some in an effort to precipitate the downfall of 
the UPA government are true or not, the fact is that the 
former President is stepping into a U.P. politicized scene 
that remains highly volatile.  U.P. is the traditional 
Congress Party heartland, and the Gandhi family's strategy 
for consolidation depends on recovering that bastion.  This 
is particularly the case for Rahul Gandhi, who is under 
criticism for failure to pay sufficient attention to the 
Gandhi/Amethi U.P. constituency.  The Congress leadership's 
sensitivity about President Clinton's visit suggests how 
vulnerable they remain to challenges from Mulayam and his 
ilk. 
 
7.  (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: 
(http//www.state.sgov/p/sa/newdelhi) 
MULFORD