All eyes are set on September 21 - the day when Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav holds the meeting of Ram Manohar lohia Trust ahead of the party’s State convention on September 23 and three-day national convention from October 5. No invitation has, however, been sent to Mulayam or Shivpal Yadav yet.
Apart from Shivpal Yadav, Akhilesh and Ramgopal are also members of the Trust. In August this year, Akhilesh had skipped a meeting in which Mulayam had sacked four of his loyalists. The million dollar question then remains whether Mulayam would sack Akhilesh and Ramgopal from the Trust.
“The agenda of lohia Trust meeting is apolitical, but Netaji (Mulayam) might take some important decisions there. He can also give indications on formation of Samajwadi Secular Front,” a member of the Trust said.
Only on Wednesday, Akhilesh Yadav said in lucknow, “Mulayam Singh is my father. There are political issues. But he will remain my father.”
An MlC close to Mulayam Singh claimed that Mulayam Singh was likely to sound the war cry on September 21. Mulayam loyalists would start sitting at the lohia Trust office, about 200 meters from the SP headquarters on Vikramditya Marg in lucknow.
The MlC claimed that by Navratra, Mulayam's strategy would come out in the open and he was also expected to hold a press conference thereafter to announce his next move.
A few days ago Shivpal and Mulayam had a meeting that lasted over an hour. Sources said that several top leaders have contacted Mulayam Singh and Shivpal Yadav. When Mulayam was removed from the post of SP president on January 1 this year, it left many puzzled. The perplexed lot was not able to discern if it was an Akhilesh-led coup or a clever succession plan, devised by Mulayam himself. A lot has happened since then.
The loss of Mulayam camp in the succession battle at Election Commission's office, a humiliating defeat under the leadership of Akhilesh in UP Assembly election, followed by Mulayam's jibes at his son, nothing has been hunky-dory in the Yadav parivar since.
Tensions simmered between Akhilesh and his warring uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav even before Assembly election, with the uncle criticising his nephew and threatening to quit the party. Mulayam, on the other hand, vacillated --sometimes blowing hot on his son and sometime cold.
Sources in Shivpal camp claimed that Neta Ji could force his way back to the presidency of Samajwadi Party or float a venture of his own. As the party heads to its National Convention on October 5, to deal with organisation's leadership issues, many say it's time for Mulayam to act. Akhilesh has made it clear that he was in no mood to let go the post of party's national president.
The proforma for delegate card of state conference on September 23 didn't have a Mulayam photo, while Dimple Yadav, party vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda, general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav and Azam Khan made it.
Recently, when quizzed over succession of the party, Akhilesh said that there was no relevance of such questions. Mulayam, however, had maintained a steady silence even when Akhilesh and Shivpal traded barbs at each other.
While the moves are visible in the Mulayam camp, nothing can be said about his future stand with certainty. Will Mulayam float a party of his own or seek some concessions from Akhilesh for his brother Shivpal are questions which are citical andd remain shrouded in the uncertainty.