Samajwadi party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav has said that he will contest against rebelling son and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in the state assembly polls slated to begin next month.
“ Unka kya hoga, hamara kya hogo ab chunav ayog hi faisla karega(What will happen to them, and what will be our fate will now be decided by the EC),” he said. Mulayam, asked the party cadres that they should support the symbol which will be given to him by the Election Commission.” Aap log mujhe jo symbol mile us par hi vote dena,” he added.
``I will accept whatever the election commission decides on the party symbol. I need your help and go to the polls with whatever symbol is allotted to us by the Election Commission. I am confident of the peoples support as I have made lots of sacrifices for the party’’, said Mulayam Singh adding `` Akhilesh is hobnobbing with BJP and our other rivals. I will contest polls and I will seek people’s help against Akhilesh. I tried to convince him but he is not realizing his mistakes. I called Akhilesh three times. He dropped in for only a minute, and left even before I started to speak’’.
In a sudden development on Monday Mulayam Singh went to the residence of his younger brother Shivpal Yadav located opposite the state office of the party. later he reached the party office and addressed party cadres. During his address inside the auditorium, the media was not allowed the entry in the party office. During the address by Mulayam Singh, was flanked by Naresh Uttam, the state party president of Akhilesh faction of the party.
Mulayam Singh also said that ``I am trying my best to save the party and its election symbol cycle, and if Akhilesh doesn’t listen then I will fight against him,” The Election Commission is likely to give an interim order on the dispute on Monday and the election symbol cycle is most likely to be freezed. The three-member EC, headed by Nasim Zaidi, heard both the sides on Friday and reserved its order.
Expressing his displeasure with the style of functioning of the chief minister, Mulayam Singh said ``Akhilesh is functioning in an arbitrary manner. He dismissed four ministers Ambika chowdhary, Om Prakash Singh, Narad Rai and Shadab Fatima from the cabinet for no rhyme and reason. Even a senior minister like Balram Yadav was thrown out of the cabinet and I forced Akhilesh to reinduct him in the cabinet’’.
Mulayam Singh Yadav hit out at his son by playing Muslim card alleging his rival faction as anti-Muslim. `` Akhilesh is ignoring the interests of the muslims and prominent muslim leaders have brought this to my notice. This is very unfortunate. Akhilesh was also against the appointment of the director general of police from the muslim community’’, said Mulayam Singh Yadav. Mulayam also said that Akhilesh is now reaching out to BJP and because of him people have started thinking SP is anti-Muslim.
The assertion of ahead of the crucial assembly elections is significant as Akhilesh is banking on the support of the muslims and trying to consolidate the support of the minority community in alliance with the Congress and the Rashtriya lok Dal. The alliance aims to dent the Dalit-Muslim social coalition being firmed up by the Bahujan Samaj party. The Akhilesh faction had earlier accused Mulayam faction leaders Shivpal Yadav and Amar Singh of trying to create fissures within the SP on instructions from BJP president Amit Shah. The Akhilesh faction hoping that an alliance with Congress will bring the community en masse into their fold, brightening their prospects in the polls.
Meanwhile in another political development Akhilesh Yadav’s nameplate as National President was put below Mulayam Singh Yadav’s nameplate of the same designation at SP office here on Monday. The incident shows that Akhilesh camp was not ready to succumb to any pressure from the Mulayam camp.
The raging feud in the SP was further complicated after Akhilesh Yadav was elected as the national president of the party at a national convention here on January 1. At the same convention, incumbent president Mulayam Singh Yadav was made the patron of the party. Following this development Mulayam Singh who approached the EC and conveyed that he continues to be the party president and the election symbol should remain with his faction. This was contested by the Akhilesh faction and it filed affidavits by various party office bearers, MPs, MlAs and district presidents to claim that the majority was with the chief minister’s faction and that it was the group which was entitled to the symbol.