Hopes of reconciliation within Samajwadi Party’s first family dimmed with party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav and his younger brother Shivpal Singh Yadav skipping the much-hyped 10th national convention of the party hinting that all was still not well in the party and the family.
The venue was pregnant with expectations of Mulayam Singh Yadav attending the function since Thursday morning. Senior leaders were seen telling supporters that `Netaji’ would surely attend the meet and a ‘special plane was waiting at Chaudhary Charan Singh airport, lucknow to fly him to Agra’. Even announcements were made to keep people interested.
The hopes however were dashed by 11 am and when it apparent that Mulayam would not be coming to Agra, party leaders rushed with the day’s agenda that included bringing political and economic resolutions and finsihed the convention much before the closing time of 5 pm.
The thaw in SP’s first family was visible with Akhilesh Yadav meeting Mulayam Singh at his lucknow residence a few days back and then a telephonic conversation between Akhilesh and Shivpal Yadav as the later was in Etawah. These developments indicated that the ice was thawing between the father and the son as well as between the nephew and thee uncle.
All eyes were on 5, Vikramaditya Marg – the residence of Mulayam Singh Yadav – since Thursday morning, on whether he would attend the SP national executive meet or not. When the meeting started at Agra, Mulayam was closeted with younger brother Shivpal Yadav and former leader Narad Rai. Around 10.30 am, when Akhilesh was declared SP national president, it became clear that Mulayam would not be attending the convention anymore.
Shivpal Yadav had earlier claimed that he would not be attending the meet as he was neither a member of national executive nor held a party post. “My attending the national convention is not judicious at all. But if Netaji asks me to go and attend it, I will do the same,” he had said earlier.
The only silver lining was a tweet from Shivpal Singh Yadav congratulating Akhilesh for being elected the president of the party.
Mulayam’s presence in the party’s meeting would have been a shot in the arm for Akhilesh. Recently, Mulayam had praised Akhilesh publically and refused to announce the launch of a new party despite cajoling by a section of leaders.
Akhilesh too knew that Mulayam’s presence was mandatory for infusing a new lease of life in the SP. Therefore in his address, he took Mulayam’s name repeatedly throwing a hint among supporters that ‘Netaji’ was still the tallest leader of the party.
“I had told Netaji (Mulayam) that if you come, we will be honoured. I had called him yesterday and today too before reaching the venue. I told him, if you don’t bless us, we will not progress. Netaji blessed me over the phone,”Akhilesh said and reminded : “SP national vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda too got blessings from Netaji today in the morning.”
How much impact would the invocation of Mulayam’s name have on Samajwadi Party’s politics, only time will tell, but the fact remains that his absence has taken the sheen from the convention.