Akhilesh Yadav may throw Shivpal out of SP soon

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav has indicated that he is now gearing up to take action against his estranged uncle Shivpal, who may be expelled from the party in the coming days.

“Jise jahan jana hai jaye, mujhe parwah nahi. Action jaldi hoga,” he told party leaders at a meeting here.

Mr Yadav said that he had already faced maximum criticism on certain issues and was not bothered to any more criticism that comes his way. “I think I will have to take some tough steps to remove the misconceptions that some people have about me. Those who are responsible for sabotage will now face action. People are telling me that we lost because of the family feud. If you remember, I had said earlier that everyone will accept my views but only after the damage is done,” he said.

The issue of action against those responsible for internal sabotage during t he recent elections was raised by state secretary Rajpal Singh and ratified by the meeting which was presided over by state president Naresh Uttam.

SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav and Azam Khan did not attend the meeting. However, sources said that the three were not invited.

His uncle Shivpal had earlier said that the party’s defeat in elections was a “defeat of arrogance of leaders” and sister-in-law Aparna has also blamed her defeat on “those close to me” (read Akhilesh).

Mr Shivpal has also indicated that he would form a separate party with the blessings of Mulayam.

Senior SP leader Mohd Azam Khan is said to be upset over the fact that he was not appointed leader of opposition, despite his seniority. He has distanced himself from Akhilesh Yadav and has not been attending party meetings.

“Akhilesh is upset at the manner he is being attacked by his own family members. He has virtually decided to carry forward the party on his own and anyone who tries to disturb him in his work will be shown the door—irrespective of his stature or seniority”, said a leader known for his proximity to the SP chief.

Mr Akhilesh Yadav, meanwhile ,has decided to contest the upcoming municipal elections in Uttar Pradesh that are due in May-June and has asked party workers to start preparing for the same.