Mulayam softens stand on Ram Gopal

Expelled neta took part in RS debate on party's behalf

Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav seems to have softened his stand on the expelled party leader and cousin Ram Gopal Yadav.

Ram Gopal, who was also removed as the leader of the SP in Rajya Sabha after expulsion, on Wednesday participated in the debate on demonetisation in the upper house on behalf of the SP.

While there was no comment from Mulayam, who was in Delhi, state SP president Shivpal Singh Yadav, who had announced the expulsion, chose to evade questions on Ram Gopal’s speech in the Rajya Sabha.

“Only Netaji (Mulayam) can speak on this issue. We only follow what he says,” Shivpal said when queried in this regard by reporters on Wednesday.

SP sources said that Ram Gopal’s expulsion might be revoked in the next few days. The other youth wing leaders, all supporters of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who were shown the door when the SP family feud was at its peak could also be taken back, said a state SP leader here.

Sources said the SP wanted to send the message among the people that it was “united” and that there were no differences within the family.

Akhilesh had strongly pleaded for Ram Gopal’s return to the party fold at the recently concluded SP Central Parliamentary Board meeting here last week. No decision was taken on the replacement of Ram Gopal.

The chief minister had also made his displeasure known on Ram Gopal’s expulsion, when he met the latter at Saifai, his ancestral village, during his visit there on the occasion of Diwali last month.

Ram Gopal had also said that he had been expelled from the party in a wrongful manner and appealed to Mulayam to do “justice” with him. “I will always be with SP... I am certain that Netaji will do justice,” he had said.