The Samajwadi Party government and the party seem to be working at tangents.
While state Samajwadi Party chief Shivpal Singh Yadav is scouting for partners to build a `secular’ front to contest 2017 Assembly polls, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav seems to be averse to the idea and has advocated that the party should go to the hustings on the basis of its performance.
People close to Akhilesh Yadav told ‘The Pioneer’ on Thursday that the CM had a detailed meeting with party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and forcefully pushed the idea that the party should go it alone in the elections.
“The SP should not go for alliance. We had won 229 seats in the2012 elections. What prevents us from going to polls on our own IJ Why are we scared IJ Akhilesh has a clean image. People are saying that this government has delivered and still we are looking for partners,” a member of Team Akhilesh said.
Questioning the credibility of the poll partners, he said, “And who are the allies – Janata dal (United), RlD and Congress – parties which have lost their identities in UP.”
Despite these arguments, Shivpal Yadav spoke to JD (U) and RlD leaders in New Delhi. “To prevent the BJP from coming to power, we will have a big alliance this year. I have spoken to several leaders and got positive responses,” he said in Ghaziabad on Thursday.
Mulayam Singh had sent brother Shivpal to invite leaders for Samajwadi Party’s silver jubilee programme scheduled in lucknow on November 5. The invitees include Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Deve Gowda, Janata Dal (United) leaders Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav, Rashtriya lok Dal leader Ajit Singh and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader lalu Prasad.
“The whole idea is to send across a message that Mulayam Singh Yadav is trying to unite secular forces before the UP Assembly elections. He has assigned the task to Shivpal to keep him busy elsewhere,” a senior Samajwadi Party leader said.
But where is the unityIJ
“If the CM says we should go alone and the state SP chief stresses on forming pre-poll alliances, it is a clear pointer that there is difference of opinion on the issue. Akhilesh has rejected any alliance proposal in the past. Netaji should have taken Akhilesh into confidence before initiating the move,” a senior leader said.
A second line of thinking suggests that SP’s pan-India thinking could stop the chain of action and reactions in the Yadav family.
Trouble started in the Samajwadi Party on September 13, when Mulayam replaced Akhilesh with Shivpal as the state party chief.
In retaliation, Akhilesh divested Shivpal of the Public Works Department, Irrigation and Revenue ministries only to give back the Irrigation and Revenue ministries.
With the strife snowballing, Shivpal suspended five MlCs and six youth wings leaders loyal to Akhilesh. Eventually, he also suspended general secretary and spokesperson Ram Gopal Yadav for writing to Mulayam against him. A furious Akhilesh then sacked Shivpal and his three aides from his cabinet on October 23.
Janata Dal (U) leader Suresh Nirajnan Bhaiya said: “Nitish Kumar’s stand has been politically vindicated. Nitish had already advocated for an anti-BJP front and now Mulayam Singhji is supporting it.”