SP netas unhappy with cabinet rejig

Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav may have been exhorting the party leaders to bury differences and prepare for the forthcoming general elections, large scale resentment prevailed within the party over Thursday’s cabinet expansion by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

While many legislators, who were expecting a berth in the ministry and were ignored, lashed out at the party leadership off the record.

Former minister and senior SP leader Shakir Ali came out in the open to criticise Mulayam for ignoring him.

“I have been associated with the SP for past 18 years but was ignored. Those who are the first time MLAs have been made ministers,” Ali said.

His supporters alleged that Mulayam had a tacit understanding with the BJP.
Ali had defeated the then state BJP president Surya Pratap Shahi from Pathardewan Assembly constituency in Deoria district.

Ali’s supporters held demonstrations in Deoria and burnt effigy of Mulayam and tore party flag besides raising anti-SP slogans.

There were others like Ali but did not speak on record. “Loyalty does not matter any more in SP,” quipped a senior leader, who was ignored during the cabinet expansion.
Akhilesh had on Thursday undertaken the third expansion of his 16-month old cabinet and inducted two new faces while promoting two.

Controversial independent legislator Raghuraj Pratap Sigh alias Raja Bhaiya was not included in the ministry.

Earlier also, when some SP MLAs overtly criticised the party’s functioning, the SP leadership had issued strict instructions to the legislators refraining them to air their grievances in public.

The SP leaders had not only blamed the state government for its failure to maintain law and order but also alleged that the officials were corrupt and did not pay any heed to their recommendations.

SP leadership had to expel party legislator Pramod Gupta after he said that the law and order situation in the state was very poor and had even threatened to resign from Assembly’s membership if the crime rate was not controlled in near future.

Before this, Mohammed Ziauddin Rizvi, MLA from Ballia had levelled allegation of corruption against the party.