Mulayam 'family feud' simmers

Akhilesh, Shivpal stick to their guns

The ongoing ‘feud’ in Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav’s ‘political family,’ arising out of a turf war between Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his senior leader-uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav, remained unresolved.

Both stuck to their guns and rejected the ‘compromise formula’ though they also vowed that they would abide by the directives of ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam).

Akhilesh told reporters here that there was no “feud” in the family and that the “fight is in the government” and attributed the ongoing crisis to ''interference from an outsider'' without taking names. Shivpal said ''no one in the party has the courage to disobey Mulayam''.

''It's not a fight in the family...it's a fight in the government...why was the chief secretary removed?...why were the ministers sacked?...Will the outsiders now decide who is to be retained and who is to be removed?....How can the party function if there is outside interference?” Akhilesh asked, referring to - what the SP leaders here claimed - party’s Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh.

The chief minister was not happy with the nomination of Singh for Rajya Sabha from the state but had given in following pressure from Mulayam and Shivpal. Singh had recently said that it was difficult for him to even speak to Akhilesh.

Akhilesh said that most of the decisions were taken by Mulayam but he (Akhilesh) also took some decisions on his own.

A sulking Shivpal, who was divested of all important portfolios by Akhilesh on Tuesday night, after the former replaced him as the state unit president of the party, said that he would ''follow'' the orders of Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Shivpal, who rushed to Delhi and had a five-hour long discussion with Mulayam, said that all was well within the family and the government. Sources said that Mulayam would be arriving here on Friday to hold a meeting with Akhilesh to defuse the crisis.

Sources said that Mulayam had asked Akhilesh to meet him in Delhi but the latter refused. SP sources also said that both Shivpal and Akhilesh rejected the 'compromise formula' worked out by Mulayam.

Mulayam, however, managed to persuade Shivpal to hold back his resignation from the Akhilesh cabinet.

The rift came to the fore when Akhilesh divested Shivpal of several key portfolios. Akhilesh's action was seen as a protest against his removal as the party’s state unit president.