When Big B stares into your eye from the TV screen and says in his sonorous voice, “UP mein hai dum kyonki jurm yahan hain kum”, it only elicits a smirk. But it isn’t that simple. The ad, in fact, seems to strengthen the feeling that the ruling Samajwadi Party is truly disconnected from ground realities in Uttar Pradesh.

At a time when assembly elections have been announced, Nithari and a spate of law and order incidents, communal riots and rapes conjure up an image of an anarchic state. The wide support for Lucknow University Vice-Chancellor Ram Prakash Singh’s efforts to purge the campus of criminal student leaders owing allegiance to the Samajwadi Party is a strong manifestation of how big an issue law and order is in the state.

Given this, the political campaigns of all political parties are bound to be based singularly on law and order and there is little that Mulayam Singh Yadav can give back, except to tote out crime figures of other states—and that doesn’t cut much ice.

The increasing number of cases of either government officials, including policemen, being roughed up by gun-toting Samajwadi Party leaders or several incidents of policemen being found involved in crimes like kidnapping and looting indicate the co-option of the “contract mafia” into the political echelons. And the perception that the government avoids or obstructs punitive action in such incidents only contributes to the sinking feeling.

There are wrong signals that flow from the top. Former POTA detainee Raja Bhaiyya, who was jailed by Mayawati, being made a minister and the CM’s fighting tooth and nail to prevent a CBI inquiry against mafia don Mukhtar Ansari for his alleged involvement in the sensational murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai till the High Court forced its hands seem clear instances of who the government patronises.

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