locked in a bitter power struggle between his son Akhilesh and brother Shivpal Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav said that it was his biggest mistake of life to have installed Akhilesh as the Chief Minister of UP. He further said people committed no mistake and the SP lost the elections due to its own follies.
In the same vein, Mulayam also praised his son, saying “Akhilesh worked hard for the development of UP and many important development projects were completed during his regime”.
Mulayam also endorsed Shivpal’s bitter criticism of Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav and accused him of sabotaging the effort for unity in the party.
“Had I been the Chief Minister of UP, the Samajwadi Party would have won the 2017 Assembly elections. I confess that I made a mistake by making Akhilesh as Chief Minister. I should have taken over as the Chief Minister in 2012. The Samajwadi Party in 2012 went to the Assembly elections on my face and the people had voted for me, yet I committed a grave error and decided to install Akhilesh as Chief Minister,” said Mulayam in Mainpuri on Sunday.
lashing out at his cousin brother Ram Gopal Yadav, the SP patron said, “He is not working for the party. He is a selfish person and is concerned only for his narrow political interests. Ram Gopal Yadav had spent lot of money for ensuring the defeat of Shivpal from the Jaswantnagar Assembly seat in Etawah. When I learnt of this development, I had to go to Jaswantnagar and held public meeting there’..
On Shivpal’s comment terming Ram Gopal Yadav as “Shakuni”, Mulayam said, “Whatever Shivpal said is absolutely correct as the conduct of Ram Gopal Yadav is worse than Shakuni. Ram Gopal not only hatched a conspiracy for the defeat of Shivpal from Jaswantnagar he also spent huge sums of money for the purpose’’.
To a question on his brother Shivpal deciding to form a new front, he said efforts should be made to strengthen the Samajwadi Party.
Shivpal, who retained the Jaswantnagar Assembly seat during the recent elections, has said that a secular front would be formed if Akhilesh did not hand over the reins of the party back to his father Mulayam in three months.
Earlier this week, Shivpal announced the launch of the “Samajwadi Secular Morcha” to be headed by Mulayam.
Next day, Mulayam backed out saying “I have not spoken to Shivpal for a week and I will talk to him and will never allow the split in 25-year-old party.
Ever since the bitter feud in the first family of the Samajwadi Party emerged in public domain and since fought through the media, Mulayam is seen one day placating Shivpal and other day he defends Akhilesh and also criticise the former Chief Minister of UP.