Having been politely but effectively swotted aside by his son, Mulayam Singh this morning refused to join top leaders on stage as the Samajwadi Party disclosed its manifesto for the Uttar Pradesh election, which begins next month.
On January 16, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav defeated Mulayam Singh's claim of controlling the party. The Election Commission ruled that it is the 43-year-old and not his father who is accepted as the leader of the Samajwadi Party and if both men fight the elections separately, it is the Chief Minister who can use the party name and symbol.
That verdict forced into recess a family feud that had gripped the Samajwadi Party at a time when it should have been preoccupied with its external and not internal hunt for power.
Also missing today was his younger brother and closest aide, Shivpal Yadav, who played a reliable part in estranging father and son but has been included in Akhilesh Yadav's list of candidates, as requested by Mulayam Singh.
Soon after releasing the manifesto, the Chief Minister and his wife Dimple left the party office, but had to rush back to meet father Mulayam Singh who arrived after the event. The two met for over 40 minutes and were later seen walking out of the office together.
Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav (left) outside the Samajwadi Party.
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