Samajwadi Party has plunged into deep crisis after Akhilesh Yadav fired his uncle Shivpal
Highlights
- Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in turf war with uncle Shivpal
- Father Mulayam, who chiefs Samajwadi Party, sides with brother Shivpal
- All leaders trade accusations at meeting, party skids towards a split
There were no elephants in the room at this morning's gathering of the Samjawadi Party - years' worth of resentment were unbelted in quick speeches by the trio of Yadavs whose clashes threaten to tear the party apart just months ahead of the election in Uttar Pradesh.
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav aired his grievances against uncle Shivpal who called him a liar and said that while the 43-year-old has issued assurances that he will not form a rival party, in private, he has threatened to do just that.
This, Shivpal Yadav said, he can "attest to with Ganga-jal", adding it is also the reason for his urging older brother and party president Mulayam Singh to "take over the reins of Uttar Pradesh."
At one point, as Akhilesh Yadav was sharing his account of the feud, Shivpal snatched the mic from him. He then elaborated on his efforts to keep the party intact, including with hectic tours across the state to strengthen the cadre ahead of the election.
In the audience, someone pointed out that he had used a government helicopter for his travel, implying that his efforts were enabled by and backed with the Chief Minister.
Shivpal retorted, "Helicopter kya tumhare baap ka hai, main mantri tha government mein (Does your father own the helicopter? I was a minister in the government)."
The mistrust and estrangement between Akhilesh and Shivpal Yadav has not been helped by the preference that Mulayam Singh has expressed for his brother over his son in recent months. Uttar Pradesh currently has 404; of them, 229 belong to the Samajwadi Party; and about 100 of them are seen as backing the Chief Minister over his uncle.
Last month, Akhilesh Yadav sacked Shivpal as a cabinet minister, only to reinstate him after an intervention by his father. Yesterday, Shivpal was removed for a second time. At today's meeting of the party's legislators, Mulayam made it clear that though Akhilesh will remain Chief Minister, his brother and close friend Amar Singh, another irritant for Akhilesh, are indispensable to him.