Lucknow: It was the merger of the Qaumi Ekta Dal (QED) into the Samajwadi Party in June 2016 that had triggered off a friction in the party with chief minister Akhilesh Yadav strongly opposing the move.

The chief minister contended that the QED was a party floated by Mukhtar Ansari, a mafia don-turned-politician, and he did not wish to include criminals in the party. He had in fact blamed his uncle, Shivpal Yadav, for patronising criminals.

Then in September, the crisis worsened in the party when the chief minister sacked Gayatri Prajapati from the council of ministers, citing corruption charges against him. Though Akhilesh Yadav was “forced” to take back Prajapati back into the ministry, he continued to make his displeasure clear on a number of occasions. However, political compulsions apparently forced the CM to opt for a compromise.

Meanwhile, Sigbatullah Ansari, brother of Mukhtar Ansari, was among the MLAs who were welcomed at the chief minister’s residence on Thursday to sign an affidavit in support of Akhilesh Yadav. Gayatri Prajapati was another leader who was welcomed to sign the affidavit. SP MP Amar Singh took a dig at the chief minister on Friday when he said, “Those who were tainted have suddenly become sparkling white because they crossed over to the chief minister’s side. They were criminals and corrupt till they were loyal to Shivpal Yadav”.