Swords, smiles mark Samajwadi Party bash

Familial infighting in the Samajwadi Party took centrestage at the party’s grand silver jubilee celebrations organised in Lucknow to which all the patriarchs of the Janata Parivar had been invited and were in happy attendance.

The Saturday event, meant to serve as a symbolic show of strength ahead of talks to explore a Bihar-style grand alliance for the forthcoming Assembly polls, however showcased a ruling party deeply divided and split between two camps.

SP chief Muyalam Singh Yadav and younger brother Shivpal, also the party’s UP chief, stood firmly on one side, while chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and his supporters sloganeered and sang songs on the other.

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav played peacemaker and tried to bring Akhilesh and Shivpal together, at least on stage. He held and raised their hands together in a show of unity, and also made Akhilesh touch his uncle Shivpal and father Mulayam’s feet on the dais.

It seemed less a truce and more a gesture of politeness in the presence of senior political leaders. But the symbolism was powerful.

Akhilesh carried a sword in one hand while he touched his uncle’s feet with the other, and Shivpal too held a sword in one hand as he blessed the chief minister with the other.

Both had been gifted swords at the beginning of the even which they accepted and brandished smilingly through the event.

Even as the stage heaved under the collective might of the Janata Parivar — Lalu Prasad Yadav, Janata Dal-United’s Sharad Yadav, H.D. Deve Gowda, former Prime Minister who heads the Janata Dal (Secular), RLD chief Ajit Singh and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Chautala — the show of unusual bonhomie evaporated as soon as they took to the mike.

Shivpal Yadav, followed by Akhilesh Yadav, took pot shots at each other in their speeches delivered to large gathering — no less than four football fields in size — of SP supporters.

An emotional Mr Shivpal Yadav, a minister in the state government who has been sacked twice by the UP chief minister, while lauding the chief minister for the excellent work done under his leadership, said that some people inherit power without doing anything while others get nothing despite making sacrifices.

“Ask for blood, I shall give blood. Don’t make me chief minister, insult me if you will, I know I have done good work How many times will you humiliate me You removed me twice but I have also struggled,” he said.

“Some intruders have entered (in the party) and are creating atmosphere (of differences)... I have made a lot of sacrifice for the party under the guidance of Netaji (Mulayam). I am ready to make more sacrifices. You can sack me, humiliate me and (yet) I will work for the party till the last drop of my blood. I will tolerate my humiliation but not the humiliation of Netaji,” he said, and added that he was not an aspirant for the chief minister’s post.

In his speech Mr Akhilesh Yadav returned the fire when he said, “You have given me a sword but I am not allowed to use it. Dr (Ram Manohar) Lohia said that the world will listen to me but only after I am gone. Today, I can say that some people will listen to me but only after things go awry in the Samajwadi Party. I do not want to reply to certain things but I am ready to take any test for the party”.

Mr Lalu Prasad Yadav, in his speech, said, “I have brought Shivpal and Akhilesh together to show that there is no difference in the family. We may fight between ourselves but no one fights with us and the BJP should know this”.

Terming the BJP as a “ranga siyar” (painted jackal), he said, “Under the leadership of Mulayam Singh Yadav, we will defeat BJP in UP just as we did in Bihar. If Mr Modi cannot control Kashmir, how can he run the country ”

Even as thousands of Samajwadi Party workers danced to the song Yeh janta hai Akhilesh ke saath (People are with Akhilesh Yadav) sung by a folk singer, senior members of the Janata Parivar vowed to defeat the BJP under the leadership of Mulayam Singh Yadav while endorsing Mr Akhilesh Yadav as the chief ministerial candidate.

Senior SP leader Mohd Azam Khan, Amar Singh and Jaya Bachchan were conspicuous by their absence and another SP leader, Javed Abdi, was pushed off the stage when he grabbed the mike and started singing paeans to the chief minister. Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav asked Mr Shivpal Yadav to remove the SP leader.

Bihar chief Minister Nitish Kumar made his excuses saying he had a previous engagement at home and stayed away. He is said to be wary of an alliance till Mulayam Singh puts his house in order.

Mulayam Singh hopes to stitch together a Mahagathbandhan to challenge the BJP and arch rival Mayawati’s BSP. But the family feud, in which he has consistently back his brother, threatens to trip those plans.

In Bihar, Nitish Kumar could beat the BJP and return as chief minister last year thanks to a grand alliance. Mulayam Singh Yadav had walked out of that alliance in what was seen as a terrible misfire.