Since a majority of the milk vendors are either Muslims or Yadavs, Mulayam sees a brilliant opportunity to mobilise these votes, especially with the general election so close by. His party is also facing a tough challenge from the Congress for the number two slot in the stae after the BJP.

``I promise that there will be no persecution of milkmen once my government comes to power in the state,'' Mulayam told a massive gathering of milk vendors in the state capital yesterday. ``There are chances that the Kalyan government will soon be toppled and the Samajwadi Party-led government will come into being by March.''

The Kalyan government has waged a widepread campaign against milk vendors to put a strict check on the sale of synthetic milk. Those found selling adulterated milk are being booked under the National SecurityAct (NSA). The drive, however, has earned the ire of thousands of milkmen who even observed a two-day strike during which milk was not distributed in many cities of the state, causing hardship to the people.

Members of the Milk Vendors' Association allege that petty milkmen are being persecuted by the police at the behest of the Chief Minister while influential ones are not being checked. ``We do not oppose the drive to check synthetic milk, but those guilty should be punished. The fact is that a number of our innocent brothers have been booked under the NSA because the police had to show results,'' says an office-bearer of the association. The Samajwadi Party chief has taken this one step further. The drive against synthetic milk, he says, is nothing but an expression of bias on the part of the Kalyan government which is against the welfare of Yadavs and Muslims. He says his party will oppose the present drive tooth and nail and exhorted milkmen to stop supply of milk to put pressure on the government towithdraw it.

``Stop supply of milk and go for open loot to earn your living. Samajwadi Party members will be there to help you,'' said Mulayam, who is trying to create an issue out of the present drive to highlight shortcomings of the Kalyan government in the coming polls.

To make it worse for Kalyan, senior BJP leader and also a minister, Lalji Tandon, has said milkmen selling synthetic milk should be hanged. `This is the height. The Kalyan government is trying to finish us economically. they will have to pay the price for it,'' says a belligerent milkman.