Mulayam defended his decision of replacing Akhilesh with Shivpal as the Uttar Pradesh SP chief, saying the latter worked “shoulder-to-shoulder” with him to bring the party to its current position.
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“Earlier in the day, hundreds of Akhilesh supporters had gathered outside the party office and later at Mulayam Singh Yadav” s residence.
Denying any rift in the Samajwadi Party, UP CM Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said that there is no fight going on among the pioneers in the party.
Speaking to the media later, Akhilesh talked about his angst at having been removed from the post of UP unit chief of the party – a job Mulayam had handed over to Shivpal earlier this week.
A anxious Mulayam Singh – who for years has run the party like a personal fiefdom – was engaged in thrashing out an amicable solution to the biggest crisis of his personal life and political career, colleagues said.
The chiefs of SP-allied organisations -including Lohia Vahini, Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha, Mulayam Singh Youth Brigade and Samajwadi Yuvajan Sabha -declared they won’t work under Shivpal and put in their papers. Mulayam also reached the party office and addressed the youth workers, even chiding them for their protest while he praised his brother Shivpal.
Informed sources told IANS that at a 15-minute one-on-one meeting at Mulayam Singh’s residence, Maulayam Singh tore up the resignation letter of Shivpal Yadav.
Akhilesh promises to support uncle Shivpal for the greater good of the Samajwadi Party. Akhilesh too should learn from him and me as well.
He was flanked by sacked Mining Minister Gayatri Prajapati and son Aditya Yadav, who has also resigned as Pradesh Cooperative Federation chairman in support of his father.
The development came hours after Akhilesh shunted out state chief secretary Deepak Singhal, considered close to Shivpal and replaced him with Rahul Bhatnagar. “He is coming to Lucknow”, he said after meeting Akhilesh in Lucknow.
Mulayam also rebuked party workers for taking the party matter to the streets over a dispute involving Akhilesh and Shivpal.
However, when one of the party activists pointed out that the “Modi wave” was at work in 2014, the Samajwadi Party supremo curtly told him to sit down.
Sometime ago I had written about how the parliamentary party could perhaps have a full quorum if the elected from Samajwadi Party met at the family dinner table. We will not allow the party to be weakened at any cost. “However, due to one person (Lalu Prasad), I was not able to become the PM but now that person is my samdhi”, Mulayam went ahead to explain. We should all come together and work.
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“Shivpal has been made SP state president by Mulayam to save son Akhliesh’s image after 2017 defeat, which is certain due to poor law and order in the state”.
