After a year long feud within Samajwadi Party’s first family, the outfit is set to put up a united face before the public on the 50th death anniversary of Socialist ideologue Ram Manohar lohia in lucknow on October 12.
SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, party president Akhilesh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav and general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav will share the dais to observe lohia’s death anniversary. The Socialist ideologue’s birth and death anniversaries on March 23 and October 12 are important events in the calendar of Samajwadi Party.
During the recently concluded SP national convention at Agra on October 5, Akhileh had said that Rs Netaji would soon appear on the party’s platform in the state’. The SP chief has already announced that Mulayam’s birthday on November 22 will be celebrated as SP foundation day. All units have been instructed to celebrate the day at all district, tehsil and block headquarters.
Barring few visits to the state SP office, Mulayam Singh has stayed away from party affairs for the last one year. During the Assembly poll in March, Mulayam had campaigned only for his brother Shivpal Yadav and daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav at Jaswant Nagar (Etawah) and lucknow Cantonment Assembly seats respectively.
On Saturday, Akhilesh and Shivpal met party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav separately at his lucknow residence. It was the first meeting of Akhilesh with his father after being elected SP national president for another five years at the party’s national convention at Agra on October 5.
Soon after meeting Mulayam, Shivpal Yadav left for Etawah to attend the concluding day programme of Ram lila marked by Rs Bharat Milap’.
SP sources said that Shivpal told his supporters that Rs it’s better to remain part of own party rather than drifting to other parties such as Congress and BJP and face constant humiliation’. Sources also said that Shivpal also assured his nephew Akhilesh and the party’s patron that Rs he has no conditions for burying the hatchet nor any political aspirations and he would remain a loyal and committed solider of the party’.
The bitter feud between uncle Shivpal and nephew Akhilesh Yadav erupted on public domain in August 2016. Shivpal had then alleged that he was being ignored in the government and he intended to resign from the party and the government. The feud later escalated with Akhilesh dismissing Shivpal loyalists from the cabinet. In October last year, he also sacked his uncle from the cabinet.
Ever since the feud erupted, Shivpal Yadav has been fighting a lost war. He hoped that his brother Mulayam Singh would come to his rescue but the latter maintained a diplomatic stand which ultimately helped son Akhilesh to strengthen his grip over the party.
In January, Shivpal announced to float a new party after the Aassembly elections in March and a month later, he floated a secular front to be headed by elder brother Mulayam Singh. The SP patron however feigned ignorance about any such development. later Shvipal announced to float a secular front by June end which was later extended to October. However, none of the announcements materialized and ultimately the will of Mulayam prevailed after which Shivpal agreed to strike truce with his nephew.