UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday skipped the rally at Ghazipur. The rally in an east UP district, addressed by the party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, a significant event for the party to kick start the party’s campaign for the state assembly elections. East UP is considered auspicious in Samajwadi lexicon. The earlier rally planned at Azamgarh in east UP, on October 6 was cancelled due to the feud in the first family of the ruling party.
The rally was organized by the Quami ekta Dal (QED) leader Afzal Ansari, elder brother of the mafia don Mukhtar Ansari. The QEed has since merged with the Samajwadi party.
SP sources said though chief minister had grudgingly accepted the merger of the QED, he has conveyed his deep distaste for the people with criminal and shady back ground by staying away from the Ghazipur rally.
Mulayam Singh Yadav addressing the rally not only defended the merger of QED saying the party will reap rich electoral dividends in coming assembly election, — he also defended the venue of the rally Ghazipur saying ``Ram Manohar lohia had laid the foundation of the Socialist Party in Ghazipur 50 years ago which later developed into anti Congress movement’’.
The conspicuous absence of the chief minister from the politically significant event has cast a shadow over the `unity ‘in the first family of the ruling party. SP is struggling hard to keep its house in order and put up a united face before the elections. The party had succeeded in the endeavour on November 5 where all the family members except Ram Gopal Yadav were present during the silver jubilee foundation programme of the party.
later on November 21, during the inauguration of the luck now Agra expressway, situation further improved as Ram Gopal Yadav was also present on the occasion. State SP president Shivpal Yadav locked in a bitter feud with his cousin Ram Gopal Yadav had touched his feets. However the decision of the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav to stay away from the has given a big jolt to the unity efforts in the party and the first family.
SP had first announced the merger of the QED with itself in June last. Akhilesh Yadav had vehemently opposed the move and had even sacked a senior minister Balram Yadav, who had brokered the deal. The party had referred the matter to the parliamentary board of the party which decided to roll back the decision of merger.
In October state SP president announced that the party supremo has approved the merger of the QED with the SP. he had then also announced that the SP will hold a big rally in Ghazipur.
The rally convener Om Prakash Singh had claimed that all the members of the family including chief minister and Ram Gopal Yadav will attend the rally. Om Prakash Singh was dismissed from the cabinet on October 23 last due to his proximity with the state SP president Shivpal Yadav.
Meanwhile Ashok Yadav, the Etawah district president of Samjawadi Party tendered his resignation from the post. Etawah is the native district of the SP national president Mulayam Singh Yadav. Ashok Yadavdid not mentions the reason for the extreme step. He himself announced his resignation. He said he has requested the party leadership not to dissolve the district unit after his resignation. Ashok Yadav is a staunch supporter of Shivpal Yadav.