Rallies show fissures in Samajwadi Party not yet healed

Lucknow: For those who feel all is finally well in the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh, there is disappointment in store. Undercurrents of hostilities still continue in the first family and signs of this have been emerging from time to time.

To begin with, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has been maintaining a distance from rallies being addresses by his father and party president Mulayam Singh Yadav. The CM was conspicuous by his absence from the Ghazipur and then the Bareilly rally.

At the Bareilly rally, Mulayam Singh Yadav almost lost his cool and asked the minister to ask the CM why he had not filled up 2.5lakh vacancies in the police department. He also made sure to appreciate the work done by state president Shivpal Yadav and general secretary Om Prakash Singh — both of whom were dismissed by the CM a few weeks ago.

The CM also refused to dismiss his minister Tej Narain Pandey, who had been expelled from the party by state SP president Shivpal Yadav. Mulayam Singh Yadav said he had asked the CM to reinstate the leaders. “But I do not wish to dwell on this topic otherwise ‘baat bahut door tak jayegi’”, he said.

Akhilesh Yadav, who was supposed to embark on his Rath Yatra in November, has stalled his programme after the take off. “He will embark on his yatra only when he is given full authority in the ticket distribution,” said a source.

The chief minister, sources said, was also upset with the party leadership for not reinstating his loyalist leaders who were expelled two months ago.