It’s an open war in the house of Yadavs.
It’s an open war in the house of Yadavs. Hours after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav sacked UP chief secretary Deepak Singhal on Tuesday, the Samajwadi Party supremo, Mulayam Singh Yadav, brought the axe down on his son and removed him from the post of party state unit chief. Akhilesh Yadav has been replaced by his uncle and bete noire, Shivpal Yadav, who will also be the party’s campaign in-charge. This means that Shivpal Yadav, and not the chief minister, will be the last word in ticket distribution.
In a retaliatory move late on Tuesday, Akhilesh Yadav withdrew plum portfolios of PWD, irrigation, cooperative and revenue from Shivpal Yadav and that he had been given social welfare and water resources. Sources said that he may resigning on Wednesday.
Since the announcement of Akhilesh Yadav’s removal was made from Delhi, it’s believed that Amar Singh, who is “not on good terms” with the chief minister, was the brain behind the party supremo’s decision.
Singhal, the sacked chief secretary, is also learnt to have had a lengthy meeting with Mulayam Singh Yadav in Delhi.
Singhal was not merely close both to Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav but had also crossed the Lakshman rekha by attending a party thrown by Amar Singh on Sunday in Delhi to celebrate a TV moghul’s entry to Rajya Sabha.
While Akhilesh stayed away, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav, along with Singhal, attended the party. By ruthlessly clipping Akhilesh Yadav’s wings the party supremo has sent a clear signal that he is not willing to let his son take complete charge of the party and the affairs of the state.
Over the past few days, it was open defiance against the party supremo by Akhilesh Yadav.
On Monday, the Uttar Pradesh chief minister sacked two ministers, one of them reportedly close to Mulayam Singh Yadav and his second son (Akhilesh’s step brother Pratik Yadav. And by sacking Singhal, Akhilesh Yadav made it clear that he was in no mood for any compromise in the power game. He sacked the ministers and the chief secretary while his father was in Delhi and without informing or consulting him, sources said.
Apart from Mulayam Singh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav and Pratik Yadav, other members of the Yadav clan, including the CM, were against Amar Singh’s return to the party fold. Amar Singh, who was the general secretary of the party, was expelled following anti-party activities a few years back. With Akhilesh Yadav completely ignoring him since he rejoined, Amar Singh kept close to Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Yadav. That Akhilesh Yadav continued to rebuff him became evident when Amar Singh, in a TV interview, said that he found it humiliating that the CM did not take his calls and even kept him waiting. Akhilesh was apparently also seething as Amar Singh was tacitly backing his step-brother.
It is learnt that the chief minister was against allowing Amar Singh any role during the forthcoming UP polls. However, with Shivpal Yadav taking charge, Amar Singh could now play a key role.
Much to the chagrin of the Akhilesh camp, Mulayam Singh has given the ticket to Pratik’s wife, Aparna Yadav, from Lucknow Cantt constituency for the forthcoming UP polls. The party has so far announced candidates for 143 of the 403 seats.
Nominating Sanjay Seth to RS, another close associate of Pratik Yadav, also did not go down well with the Akhilesh camp.
A senior party functionary claimed that after Mr Amar Singh’s return to the party, tensions within the family and the organisation have “intensified.” Azam Khan, the party’s Muslim face, state minister and Amar Singh’s arch rival, has been sulking and there are rumours that he may switch over to the BSP.
The sacked chief secretary has been replaced by Rahul Bhatnagar, a 1983 batch IAS officer who was, till now, posted as principal secretary, finance. The CM, sources said, was not happy with Mr Singhal’s authoritative style of functioning.
