In a clear indication of escalation of the war and widening of the chasm in the Samajwadi Party’s first family, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav will launch his poll campaign in Uttar Pradesh from November 3.
This means that Akhilesh will not attend the party’s grand 25th Foundation Day function on November 5, that will be presided by his father and party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and is expected to be attended by all SP leaders and workers.
Significantly, Akhilesh will kick off the poll campaign two days ahead of Mulayam, who is scheduled to launch the campaign in lucknow on November 5.
Akhilesh will begin his ‘Samajwadi Vikas Rath Yatra’ from the Janeshwar Mishra Trust office at Bandariyabagh crossing instead of the State SP office on Vikramaditya Marg. The trust office is the new workplace of ‘Team Akhilesh’ that includes all youth leaders recently expelled from the SP.
In a letter to SP president Mulayam on Wednesday, the Chief Minister said that he would embark on the yatra from November 3. Copies of the letter were also sent to State SP chief Shivpal Yadav and general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav. The CM further said in the letter that he would inform the district units about the yatra route from time to time.
Akhilesh also mentioned in the letter that the yatra was originally slated for October 3, but had to be postponed for “several reasons” and in the meantime, other political parties had kicked off their campaigns.
Party sources said that youth leaders, including those expelled from the SP, would be taking care of arrangements during the campaign in which Akhilesh will make the people aware of the achievements of his Government.
later on Wednesday, the CM held a meeting with Mulayam for more than an hour, but the outcome was not known.
People close to Akhilesh said that the next few days are very crucial for UP politics. “The SP will have to revoke the expulsions of youth leaders, failing which Akhilesh may take some harsh decisions,” a senior SP leader told The Pioneer.
To add to the party’s woes, Akhilesh has dropped enough hints that he would not be attending the October 22 State Executive Meeting of the party as well as the November 5 function.
On the sidelines of a function held to distribute ration cards to beneficiaries of the Food Security Act in lucknow on Wednesday, Akhilesh told reporters, “I cannot say at this point of time whether I will attend the November 5 function or not. let’s see.”
When asked by reporters about the possibility of his attending the SP Executive Meeting on October 22, Akhilesh parried, “Does anyone attend these meetings.”
Interestingly, the CM was not even invited to the party’s State Executive Meeting. However, his supporters said even after invite Akhilesh would have skip the meet.
Incidentally, on Tuesday, youth leaders who are staunchly behind Akhilesh had announced that they would boycott the silver jubilee function to protest against the expulsion of some youth leaders and three MlCs, all members of RsTeam Akhilesh’.
The Samajwadi Chaatra Sabha (SCS) also declared that they would boycott the November 5 function unless Akhilesh was reinstated as the State chief of the party.
The CM’s statement came a day after expelled SCS chief Digvijay Singh Dev went on record saying that Akhilesh was their leader.
“It is Akhilesh Yadav, who stood by the youth when police unleashed terror against them during Mayawati’s regime. Akhilesh Yadav bore the brunt of lathis and water cannons with us. Now when he is being discredited, how can the youth tolerate this,” Dev said.
The State chiefs of all frontals outfits like SCS, Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha and Mulayam Singh Youth Brigade were expelled for alleged anti-party activities by the new State SP chief Shivpal Yadav.