SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav faces political isolation

Lucknow: Samajwadi patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav is becoming increasingly irrelevant in Uttar Pradesh politics. For someone who held the centre stage of state politics for almost three decades, Mr Yadav is facing isolation both within the party that he formed and also the family that he built up.

Samajwadi leaders have stopped visiting the patriarch and even the courtesy visits by opposition leaders have dried up. Even in the Lok Sabha, he ploughs a lonely furrow because the other four MPs owe allegiance to Akhilesh Yadav.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav continues to ignore his father on political issues. If he forged the alliance with the Congress against Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav’s wishes for the assembly elections earlier this year, he also turned a blind eye to his father’s threat of breaking away from the party and attended the Patna rally organised by Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav to showcase opposition strength.

Three days before the Patna rally, Mr Mulayam  had said that he would quit the Samajwadi Party if it continued its alliance with the Congress or joined the proposed grand alliance. “Netaji (Mulayam) is ignoring the changing political dynamics in the country. This is an era of coalition politics and we cannot move ahead without taking together like-minded forces. Netaji remains our inspiration and our guide but when it comes to political issues, it is Akhilesh who calls the shots”, said a MLC known for his proximity to the SP president.

Mr Yadav’s political isolation within his party is evident from the fact that he has neither been invited nor has he attended any party function since Mr Akhilesh Yadav took over. As the party prepares for its national convention next month, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav will not be a part of the event. On the family front too, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav is losing support. His lone supporter during the recent crisis has been his younger brother Shivpal Yadav. Most other family members, especially those in politics — have also distanced themselves from the patriarch.

However, if sources are to be believed, Shivpal is being pressurized by his supporters to either break out on his own or give up politics. It is noteworthy that Mr Shivpal has repeatedly said that he would float a new front that would be led by Mr Mulayam.

Singh Yadav. Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, however, has pulled back his brother form floating a new front and this has irked his supporters.

“Time is running out and Mr Shivpal Yadav will lose out on his support base if he continues to delay a decision. It is clears that there is no place for him in Akhilesh’s Samajwadi Party and he now has to choose between his brother and his politics”, said a Shivpal supporter.