Its end of road for Shivpal Yadav in the Samajwadi party, the warring uncle of the party president Akhilesh Yadav. With the categorical refusal by Mulayam Yadav to float new political party, Shivpal Yadav is left with no option but to part company with the Samajwadi party’s patron. The supporters of Shivpal Yadav furious with the `betrayal’ by Mulayam Singh Yadav has termed his decision against floating new political party as ` daylight murder of Shivpal Yadav’.
SP sources said `` for the last over one year it was under wraps whether Mulayam Singh Yadav was with his son Akhilesh Yadav or his brother Shivpal Yadav, enough is enough now the cat is out of the bag and Netaji has demonstrated that he will never do anything which harms the political interests of his son’’. He added `` a new round of war of attrition is now underway in the party where Shivpal Yadav will wait for his expulsion from the party while Akhilesh will wait for Shivpal Yadav to leave the party on his own volition’
Shivpal Yadav furious with his elder brother over his U turn at the eleventh hour against floating new party had decided to announce his rebellion on Monday soon after the press conference addressed by Mulayam Singh. He however relented following the damage control operation launched by Mulayam Yadav.
A close aide of Shivpal Yadav said the draft press note for the announcement of new political party was finalized on Sundaylate evening and Mulayam Singh Yadav had agreed to make the announcement during the Monday press conference. During the press conference the former minister Sharda Pratap Shukla sitting besides Mulayam Singh Yadav drew his attention towards that press note, the SP patron put it aside saying ` I will take up this matter sometime later’.
The bitter rivalry between Shivpal and Akhilesh was never a secret within the party. It surfaced for the first time in March 2012. A day after Holi festival, soon after the state assembly elections Mulayam Yadav convened meeting of the family at Sefai in Etawah district. He proposed the name of Akhilesh Yadav as the next chief minister which Shivpal Yadav strongly opposed. Shivpal Yadav suggested that `Netaji’ should take over as CM and after six months Akhilesh could be considered to succeed him.
Shivpal’s rival in the family and cousin of the then SP supremo, Ram Gopal Yadav seconded the proposal saying `` now or never as such decision will have a long term impact on the party’’. The die was cast in favour of Akhilesh Yadav and he took oath as CM on March 15, 2012. Akhilesh Yadav remembered this favour by Ram Gopal Yadav. As CM he marginalized Shivpal Yadav in administration and all the decisions on transfer, posting and distribution of ticket for Rajya Sabha, legislative council, panchyat bodies and appointment as chairman of PSUs and other autonomous bodies, were taken by Akhilesh and Ram Gopal.
On August 14, 2016 Shivpal Yadav lost his cool and offered to resign from the party and the government. He was minister of PWD and irrigation. Next day, the Independence Day Mulayam Singh publically rebuked his chief minister son Akhilesh Yadav for humiliating his uncle and reminded him of the glorious contribution of Shivpal Yadav in bringing the Samajwadi party to this level. Next month in September Akhilesh Yadav sacked the two loyalist of his uncle from the cabinet and in October he sacked Shivpal Yadav from the cabinet. In same month in October the uncle and nephew publically traded charges where Akhilesh accused Shivpal Yadav of planting negative stories in the newspapers painting him as Aurangzeb.
On December 31 last year Shivpal Yadav engineered a coup. SP supremo Mulayam Singh announced the expulsion of Akhilesh Yadav from the party. Ram Gopal Yadav again came to the rescue of Akhilesh and in emergency national convention of the party he was elected as the national president of the party. In January after filing his nomination papers from Jaswantnagar assembly seat in Etawah, Shivpal Yadav had announced that he will float new political party after the elections. The moment for Shivpal Yadav to redeem his pledge has arrived.