Samajwadi Party plans another overhaul in party

After expelling four MLCs and heads of frontal organisation, the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh is preparing for another “major surgery in the party to restore the good health of the organisation”.

According to party sources, plans are afoot to expel 60 more party leaders including three MLAs and one MLC — all of whom had violated party discipline during the recent crisis.

Sources said that the MLAs who could be shown the door include Sangram Singh from Azamgarh, Raju Yadav from Mainpuri and Mukesh Srivastava who had recently quit the Congress to join the Samajwadi Party.

“I cannot divulge the names at this stage, but no one will be allowed to violate discipline. Those who have issued statements against the party leadership, shouted slogans and held demonstrations against his decisions will have to face action. We are collecting evidences in the form of video footage and photographs and the action will be taken very soon,” state SP president Shivpal Singh Yadav told this correspondent on Thursday.

This is the first time since its inception in 1992 that the Samajwadi Party has faced such a strong revolt in the rank and the anger has been directed towards the party president.

“We have to send a strong message down the line so that such incidents do not take place again,” the party leader said.

In a related development, Ram Gopal Yadav’s nephew Billo Yadav, who is the block pramukh of Karhal in Mainpuri, has resigned in protest, apparently against the expulsion of his cousin Arvind Yadav who is an MLC.

About a 1,000 party workers from Mainpuri, Etawah, Badaun and Azamgarh have resigned to express solidarity with Akhilesh Yadav who has been replaced by Shivpal Yadav from the post of state president.

These include 55 gram pradhans from the district.

“All the resignations have been accepted without delay. We cannot afford to allow undisciplined workers to remain in the party. Those who cannot accept the decisions of the party president, are welcome to leave through the exit gate,” said a senior party functionary.

Meanwhile, the expelled leaders continue their campaign against the party high command on social networking sites. Supporters of expelled MLC Sunil Singh Sajan have posted an old interview of Amar Singh, apparently taken after his expulsion in 2010, in which the SP leader had said that he would prefer to consume poison rather than se the face of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Another expelled MLC Anand Bhadauria has posted a photograph of Akhilesh Yadav and Dimple Yadav along with a couplet that says, “Ae toofan teri saazish se mera kucch na bigdega, Ab kashti nahin, main inpe bharosa pe sawar rehta hoon.”