In a major decision amid the ongoing family feud, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday sacked his uncle Shivpal Yadav from the State cabinet. Three other pro-Shivpal ministers — Narad Rai, Om Prakash Singh, and minister of state (independent charge ) Shadab Fatima - were also dismissed .
The CM took the drastic step after a meeting with state MlAs and MlCs at his official residence in lucknow on Sunday. The meeting lasted for less than an hour. Shivpal Yadav and some MlAs loyal to him were not invited to the meeting by Akhilesh. However, the three ministers dismissed were present in the meeting which resolved that the party was united and the SP would retain power in the 2017 elections.
A Raj Bhawan release later in the day said that UP Governor Ram Naik had accepted the recommendations of the chief minister to sack the four ministers.
The MlAs who attended the meeting said were told by the CM that anybody close to Amar Singh had no place in his cabinet. Akhilesh Yadav also dismissed former cine star Jaya Prada, a confidante of Amar Singh, from the post of vice-chairperson of the UP Film Development Council.
Before the Sunday meeting, Akhilesh visited his father Mulayam Singh Yadav at his residence and was with him for 45 minutes. CM had convened the meeting a day before SP chief Mulayam Singh is scheduled to hold a crucial meeting with party legislators, former MPs and MlAs, candidates and block heads, indicating of the seriousness of the feud.
The meeting on Sunday was seen as an attempt by the chief minister to pre-empt the meeting of legislators on Monday where a proposal to replace him as the leader of the legislature party could have been taken to bring back old guards of the party.
Addressing party legislators, Akhilesh Yadav hit out at the party Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh – a confidante of his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, and described him as ‘a dalal’ and said anyone close to Singh couldn’t be in the UP cabinet. The Chief Minister also delivered a firm message in the meeting that he is the political heir of Mulayam Singh Yadav.
During the speech, Akhilesh got emotional and with a choked throat said “Mulayam Singh Yadav is my leader and my father and I have deep respect for him and I have always followed him and will continue to follow him but I will never accept any outsider between the father and son’’. Akhilesh also said that he would attend the silver jubilee foundation function of the Samajwadi Party here on November 5.
“I will never involve myself in any activity which hurts my father but I am hurt on the incidents which happened forcing me to leave the house and stay with my wife in the CM residence,” Said Akhilesh Yadav adding “We will give a birthday gift to Netaji, a day ahead of his birthday onNovember 21 and he will inaugurate the luck now-Agra expressway on that day’’, said the chief minister.
“Ever since Amar Singh rejoined the party and was elected to the Rajya Sabha, the party is facing one problem or the and also causing damage to the party. All those having proximity to Amar Singh will not be spared and will face action’’, said the chief minister.
Chief Minister also scotched the rumours of splitting the party. “Splitting the party is not even in my wildest imaginations. I will never leave the party unless I am thrown out from the party and I will do anything to strengthen the party but whoever tries to damage us and create dispute will not be spared,” he said.
“We told the chief minister that Amar Singh is anti-social and should be thrown out of the party,” said Faizabad MlA Pawan Pandey – known to be close to Akhilesh. After the meeting slogans against Amar Singh resonated outside the CM’s residence. The youth leaders of the party also burnt an effigy of Amar Singh.
Sunday’s surprise decision indicates a hardening of stand by both camps – the new and young wing of the party led by Akhilesh and the old guard represented by Shivpal – as the party readies to fight a tough election, battling mounting anti-incumbency.
Shivpal’s sacking from the cabinet comes a day after a close aide of Akhilesh Yadav, MlC Udayvir Singh was expelled from the Samajwadi Party and appointment of new office-bearers for its youth and other frontal organisations, potentially closing the door on seven CM loyalists who headed these outfits before they were expelled last month. Udayvir Singh, few days ago hadshot off a stinging letter to party boss Mulayam Singh accusing his second wife of hatching a conspiracy against the Chief Minister.
Udayvir Singh had earlier this week also announced that he along with other legislators loyal to Akhilesh Yadav would boycott the SP’s silver celebrations on November 5 in protest of the expulsion of many of their colleagues by the party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.Udayveer Singh was expelled from the SP for six years for indulging in “anti-party activities,” “indiscipline” and “working against the principles and polices” of the party.