Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has issued gag order to the party leader against speaking to the media on the power struggle within the first family of the party. Mulayam gave this direction after long meeting with the family members on Mondaywhich was attended state party president Shivpal Yadav, SP leader in Rajya Sabha and general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. The meeting was called by Mulayam Singh Yadav to thrash out the differences within the first family arising out of the recent appointment of Shivpal Yadav in place of Akhilesh Yadav as state president of the party, sacking of the two ministers and expulsion of MlCs, youth leaders all owing allegiance to the chief minister. Chief Minister had also clipped the wings of his uncle Shivpal Yadav by divesting him of the lucrative portfolio of public works department.
Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav is said to have raised the issue of the withdrawal of the expulsion of the presidents of the four youth organisations of the party and the 3 MlC. Ram Gopal Yadav also pleaded the case of youth leaders and wanted the revocation of the expulsion orders. In September also Ram Gopal Yadav had led a huge road show from Delhi to Etawah and later he held a meeting of the party rank and file and appealed the party chief to reconsider his decision about expelling the youth leaders. He had also described Akhilesh Yadav as the future of the Samajwadi Party who could become prime minister of India.
The meeting remained inconclusive. The issue of fresh list of 17 candidates on Monday by the state president where loyalists of Akhilesh and Ram Gopal Yadav were replaced by the loyalist of Shivpal Yadav only added fuel to the fire—thus making the task of reconciliation within the first family even more difficult. Sensing the gravity of the situation Mulayam Singh asked his both the brothers –Shivpal and Ram Gopal and chief minister to refrain from making any statement to the media about the meeting and also not to make statements about the feud within the party. Even as the ruling party is struggling to cope with the power struggle within the first family of the party, the dispute has trickled down to almost all the districts engulfing the ministers and the party MlAs. Though ministers and MlAs are wary of speaking on record on the feud in the party, they see the split in the party as `fait accompali’. ``If the dispute is not settled within next 7-10 days then nothing can prevent the split in the party’’, said a minister.
Even as the SP chief has issued gag order, the party candidates who were replaced on Monday are getting vocal against the party leadership. `` I have been punished for my proximity with the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Chief minister is my leader and all along during my campaign in the constituency I named only the chief minister and I have been punished for that’’, said Chandra Bali Singh Patel, who was replaced by Balam Dwivedi in Chayal constituency of Kaushambi district.
“I have no regrets for my allegiance with the chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. None of the 14 new candidates announced on Monday won’t even be able to save their security deposits in next assembly elections, yet I will obey the dictate of the party’’, said Chandra Bali Singh Patel. Similar views were expressed by the party candidate from Saharanpur Vimla Rakesh who was replaced by Jasvir Balmiki. `Samajwadi Party will draw a blank from this district as no committed party worker will work for the party now in the given situation’’, said Vimla Rakesh. Similar turmoil is seen also in Meerut district where three loyalists of the chief minister were replaced. SP on Monday changed candidates for Sardhana, Meerut Cantt and Meerut city assembly constituencies.