A day after Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav announced the launch of Samajwadi Secular Front to be led Mulayam Singh Yadav, the SP patron said that he was not in the know of the nascent Front and Shivpal had not spoken to him before making the announcement on Friday.
“Shivpal had not consulted me before announcing the launch of `Samajwadi Secular Front’. I have not met Shivpal for the last one week but I will speak to him and persuade him not to split the party,’’ said Mulayam Singh in lucknow on Saturday.
On second thoughts, the SP patron said, ``I don’t know as to why Akhilesh dislikes his uncle Shivpal Yadav so much.”
Affirming his support for Shivpal, Mulayam Singh said, ``I know Shivpal is hurt as he is not getting due respect and importance in the party for the last several months. I am with Shivpal as he was with me during my days of struggle and also suffered with me.’’
Ruling out any possibility of a split in Samajwadi Party, the party patron said, “No member of my family will ever want to split the 25-year-old party as they will gain nothing by doing so. It will ultimately weaken the party.’’
On Friday at Etawah, Shivpal Yadav had announced the launch of Samajwadi Secular Front and claimed that Mulayam Singh Yadav will head the outfit. The newly floated Front was to enlist support of different political parties and fight for the cause of social justice and secularism.
Soon after when asked whether he had taken permission from Mulayam Singh in this reagrd, Shivpal Yadav had shot back saying, “Do you think that such a decision could have been taken without his approval.’’
Shivpal had also reminded Akhilesh Yadav that he had promised to hand over the party to ‘Netaji’ after the Assembly elections. “let him live up to his promise and we all shall strengthen the SP. I had given him three months’ time to implement what he had promised,” he had said.
Samawjadi Party sources said that the breakaway move by Shivpal meant nothing unless Mulayam Singh does two things – openly throws his weight behind Shivpal and two, abandons his son Akhilesh publically finally. So far none of these have happened.
The SP sources maintained that Shivpal’s announcement about the Front was merely a gimmick as he knows that he has lost political strength to force nephew Akhilesh to step down as national president of the party.
A senior SP leader opined, “The angry outbursts apart, it’s significant that Shivpal has not resigned from Samajwadi Party nor does he plan to do so in near future. The SP is intact, even with rebellious Shivpal continuing to be a member of its legislative party and Mulayam remaining neutral and doing the balancing act between his brother and son.’’