Father-son fight jolts UP, splits SP on election eve

New Delhi: The Samajwadi parivar on Friday fell apart with father and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav expelling his rebel son and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav for anti-party activities. The party supremo also sacked Samajwadi Party general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav, a close confidant and Akhilesh Yadav loyalist for calling an emergency meeting of the party on January 1. Both the leaders have been expelled for six years.

“To save the party, we have expelled both Ram Gopal and Akhilesh Yadav for six years from the party. For us, the party is the most important and our priority is to save the party,” Mulayam Singh, flanked by his brother and state unit chief Shivpal Yadav, declared at a press conference called at his residence.

After Mulayam Singh released his list of candidates on Wednesday, a defiant Akhilesh Yadav released his own list of candidates on Thursday, a move that enraged his father. Earlier on Friday, Mulayam Singh Yadav had issued a show-cause notice to Akhilesh for issuing a parallel list.

Taking his father head on after being expelled, Akhilesh Yadav summoned a meeting of SP MLAs at 9.30 am on Saturday. A split in the party is inevitable. Reports from the state indicated that top leaders of the party have urged Mulayam Singh to revoke the expulsion of Akhilesh Yadav.

Ram Gopal Yadav, defying the party chief’s diktat, asserted that Mulayam Singh’s move to sack him and Akhilesh was “unconstitutional” and that he would go ahead with the emergency meeting on January 1.

Mulayam Singh appealed to party workers “not to attend the meeting.” Immediately after Mulayam Singh expelled Akhilesh, the BJP swung into action and demanded that the chief minister resign on “moral grounds.” All eyes are now on the governor, Ram Naik, who said he is keeping a “close watch” on the developments.

While elections dates are expected to be announced on January 3, the governor could ask Akhilesh Yadav to prove his majority on the floor of the House in the next 72 hours. If Akhilesh fails to do so, then there are two possible scenarios. One, Mulayam could decide on a caretaker chief minister, or elections would be held under President’s Rule.

If the governor does not act before election dates are announced, Akhilesh will continue as the caretaker chief minister.

The battle within the SP parivar, which had been simmering for quite some time now, came to the fore Friday with Mulayam Singh finally deciding to abandon his son in favour of his brother, Shivpal Yadav.

“Where were they when I built the party on my own in 1992. Where were they (Akhilesh and Ram Gopal) when I was jailed during the Emergency,” Mulayam asked the media.

“I can still be the chief minister, I can still travel more than anyone in the party,” he asserted. Mulayam also accused Ram Gopal of “ruining Akhilesh’s political career” and added, “Akhilesh did not understand and never came to consult me.”   

Making it clear that he’s still the boss, Mulayam said that the  “emergency meeting called by Ram Gopal is unconstitutional. Nobody other than the party chief can call such a meeting.” And reminded his son, “I made Akhilesh CM,” while adding that after elections, if SP comes to power, he will decide who becomes the chief minister.

After the shock elpulsion, thousands of frenzied supporters gathered outside the residence of Akhilesh Yadav, raising slogans against Shivpal Yadav. While some wanted Mulayam Singh to revoke the expulsion, there were also attempts of self immolation, which were promptly prevented by security personnel.

Responding to Mulayam’s charges, Ram Gopal Yadav claimed that he has “never tried to influence Akhilesh.” He also said that as a general secretary he had the “right to call an emergency meeting, particularly at a juncture when the party president (Mulayam Singh) was indulging in unconstitutional acts.”

Throwing a challenge to the SP patriarch, Ram Gopal Yadav said, “Election will decide who will be acceptable.”

Some SP office-bearers resigned in support of Akhilesh, including party spokesperson Naved Siddiqui.