The protracted battle within the Samajwadi Party culminated on Friday, with senior leader Shivpal Singh Yadav announcing the formation of a secular front.
The Samajwadi Secular Morcha will be led by party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.
“Netaji (Mulayam) has given permission for its formation... he will be national president of the Samajwadi Secular Morcha,” Shivpal told reporters in Etawah.
He said the new party would make an attempt to bring all socialist and secular leaders under one umbrella to take on communal forces.
Shivpal said the new front would restore people’s respect for Mulayam, adding, “Netaji was humiliated by his own people.”
Meanwhile, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said he had no information about the formation of any such front.
“The snake charmers can bring out snakes from anywhere, but we know about the snakes in our sleeves,” the former chief minister remarked during a programme here.
Recently, Shivpal had given Akhilesh an ultimatum and asked him to hand over the party leadership to his father Mulayam in three months.
Earlier, SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav had said that Akhilesh would not resign under any circumstances and that there was no question of handing over the party reins to Mulayam.
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