Akhilesh’s ‘war room’ turns hub for SP rebels

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday inaugurated the new office of the Janeshwar Misra Trust, with the majority of the youth leaders expelled from his Samajwadi Party standing by his side.

The swanky new office of the trust is located at 7 Bandariya Bagh, right behind the Samajwadi Party office. The trust’s office will be used as a meeting point for the pro-Akhilesh group inside and outside the party.

Mr Akhilesh Yadav is the chairman of the recently-set up Janeshwar Misra Trust. His loyalists, including UP minister Rajendra Chaudhary, have been appointed as trustees.

Other members of the trust include Sunil Sajan, MLC, who was recently expelled from the SP, Naimul Hasan, a close member of the expelled leaders and Dharmendra Yadav, the cousin brother of the chief minister and MP from Badaun.

Two leaders from the old guard, former Rajya Sabha MP Bhagwati Singh and UP minister Narad Rai, have already been removed from the trust.

Since state president Shivpal Singh Yadav banned expelled leaders from entering the party’s state office, sources said that members of the chief minister’s core team will now function from the Janeshwar Misra Trust office.

The office will also function as Mr Akhilesh Yadav’s personal war room during elections, and his team of loyalists will oversee his image-building and branding from here.

SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav and state president Shivpal Singh Yadav did not attend the inaugural function of the office on Sunday.

Expelled SP leaders present at the function include Anand Bhadauria, Sunil Sajan and Sanjay Lathar. The chief minister has given a clear message that he will continue to support those leaders who have been expelled from the party.

The trust is named after Janeshwar Misra, a former SP MP who was one of the founding members of the Samajwadi Party. He died in 2010.