New Delhi:
Akhilesh Yadav, the 40-year-old chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, finally got tough today on errant elements in his Samajwadi Party. One MLA and two sons of MLAs bore the brunt.
Samajwadi Party legislator Mahendra Kumar Singh, who was arrested last night along with five others under the anti-prostitution law from Goa, has been suspended by the party. Earlier in the day, he was handed a show-cause notice asking to explain his conduct in a reply.
The 55-year-old lawmaker was arrested from an illegal dance bar in Panjim. The Goa police had raided the dance bar at around 1:30 am after complaints that there was loud music playing and women dancing.
The police say the MLA and others had brought the women along on their trip to Goa, and even stayed with them at a hotel.
Mr Singh, the MLA of Sitapur in Uttar Pradesh, is the son-in-law of Bhagwati Singh, who is said to be very close to Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh's father.
Mr Yadav jr has also thrown out from the party two sons of SP legislators who are accused of criminal activities.
Vikram Akela, the son of Rae Bareli MLA Ram Lal Akela, has been accused of driving a bulldozer through the house of a city doctor. He has been dismissed from the party today.
So has Shailendra Jaiswal, the son of another MLA Radheshyam Jaiswal. Shailendra is charged with shooting a man during an alleged bid to grab land.
Akhilesh Yadav has been accused of failing to live up to his promise of delivering a "goonda or goon free" UP after the young leader was handed a spectacular mandate in the assembly elections last year by a state looking for a change.
Most often, it is his partymen that have embarrassed him with their flagrant disregard for the law.