The Samajwadi party Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, described as an `outsider’ by the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, is likely to be assigned an important role during the election campaign of the ruling party in assembly elections. Though intensely disliked by the Chief Minister and his uncle Ram Gopal Yadav, Samajwadi party supremo had elevated his status by nominating him as the member of the central parliamentary board on December 8. Earlier SP Supremo had appointed Amar Singh as the general secretary of the party in September.
Elevation in the status of Amar Singh by the party supremo is being interpreted in the party as the attempt by Mulayam Singh Yadav to quell the challenge to his leadership and establish his absolute control over the party apparatus. `` Netaji by nominating Amar Singh to central parliamentary board has set the cat among the pigeons and he has given clear signals to the feuding members of the family to fall in line ’’, said a senior SP leader adding ``Netaji has already punished Ram Gopal Yadav and he has fallen in line but the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav seems to adamant on chartering independent course in politics’’.
SP leader said `` Netaji was rattled by the open challenge to his authority by the young leaders owing allegiance to the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. On youth leader even went to the extent of asking the Netaji to step down and hand over the reins of the party to his son Akhilesh Yadav’’.
State President of the Samajwadi party Shivpal Yadav said that `` there is nothing unusual if Amar Singh campaigns for the patty , he is an important leader of the party and party needs the services of all its leaders for campaigning during the elections’’. Shivpal Singh has close ties with Amar Singh and had lobbied hard for his return to the party. Amar Singh was expelled from the party in January 2010 and he returned to the party fold in June this year and was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Both Ram Gopal Yadav and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had been critical of Amar Singh all along the infighting within SP’s first family. Amar Singh returned to SP in June this year after six years of political wilderness. He was elevated to the post of party general secretary in September and had openly flaunted his loyalty for Mulayam by calling himself “Mulayamwadi”. Despite the vehement opposition by both the leaders Amar Singh was not only re admitted in the party he was sent to Rajya Sabha, then general secretary of the party and latest the member of the parliamentary board .
Without taking Amar Singh’s name, Akhilesh had dubbed him as an “outsider” and also accused him of trying to create a rift within the party and the family. Amar Singh had rebutted the charge by describing Akhilesh Yadav as “a fantastic chief minister but not a mass leader”.
The elevation in the status of Aamar Singh can help the SP as the party needs a back room boy who can work as `wheeler dealer’ for the party in the post election situation as he has known for his contacts in all political parties. There are clear indication that all is not well within SP. Be it the dispute between Akhilesh and Shivpal over the ticket distribution or the Akhilesh skipped Mulayam’s inaugural poll campaign rally at Ghazipur and later at Bareilly, the trouble is far from over. ``This situation will only enhance the relevance of Amar Singh in the party’’, said a SP leader.