Mulayam Singh's Son Akhilesh Yadav Stages Coup, Declared Samajwadi Party Chief At Big Meet

At a meeting of about 5,000 Samajwadi Party leaders and workers at a big public ground in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav staged a coup on Sunday morning, with his supporters declaring him party chief in place of his father Mulayam Singh. Hours later, Mulayam Singh hit back, calling the meet "unconstitutional" and expelling cousin Ram Gopal Yadav for organising it. He has also called a national convention of the party on January 5.

Much of the party was at the national convention called by Akhilesh Yadav, cheering and shouting slogans. His uncle Ram Gopal Yadav said Akhilesh Yadav would be the new national president of the Samajwadi Party and proposed that Mulayam Singh should play the role of "chief mentor" in the party.

"The whole country should understand that I will respect Netaji (Mulayam Singh) more than ever...if people are conspiring against Netaji it is my duty to act against them," Akhilesh Yadav said in a speech greeted with slogans of "Jai Akhilesh." The Chief Minister said the Samajwadi Party had been steadily losing ground because some people's machinations and he believed his father would "be the happiest" if the Samajwadi party returned to power in UP, where elections will be held soon.

Akhilesh Yadav was targeting his uncle and Mulayam Singh's younger brother Shivpal Yadav, who has engaged in a bitter tussle for power with the Chief Minister for months, and politician Amar Singh. Ram Gopal Yadav proposed that Shivpal Yadav be removed from the post of the Samajwadi Party's UP chief. He also proposed that Amar Singh be thrown out of the party. The Akhilesh Yadav camp accuses Amar Singh of instigating Mulayam Singh against his son.

The move had sent Mulayam Singh and Shivpal Yadav into a huddle and they met for the second time today at the SP chief's residence after which he issued the statement calling the meeting by Akhilesh Yadav's camp "illegal". They had earlier met this morning before the convention after which Mulayam Singh had warned of "strict action" against those attending the big meet called by his son and Ram Gopal Yadav.

Sunday's developments came after a seeming rapprochement between father and son on Saturday, after Mulayam Singh had expelled Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav from the party on Friday evening for what he called attempts to weaken the Samajwadi Party. He revoked the expulsion yesterday and party leaders had said that Sunday's meet, called by the Akhilesh Yadav camp, would be used to project party solidarity. 

On Sunday morning, however, Mulayam Singh said in a statement that the meeting was "unconstitutional," shortly after meeting Shivpal Yadav.

In the evening, he tweeted:

Sometimes to protect the ones you love you must make the right decision. What I did today was a tough decision but one that I had to take. pic.twitter.com/M5xZYEZhii

- Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) January 1, 2017