Mulayam lashes out at Akhilesh

Says party has weakened during his son's regime

The simmering rift within the Samajwadi Party (SP) came to the fore on Monday with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav publicly lambasting his son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Taking it a step ahead, Mulayam supported his younger brother and minister Shivpal Singh Yadav, who had threatened to resign over his own government’s ‘failure’ to check ‘land grabbing’ by the party leaders, and resolve the problems of the people.

Addressing a meeting at the party office here after hoisting the tricolour, Mulayam said that a conspiracy was being hatched against Shivpal and warned that the party would be in ‘deep trouble’ if he resigned.

Shivpal had earlier expressed serious displeasure over the functioning of the government, saying bureaucrats did not listen to him even in matters pertaining to his departments and that his directions to act against the land grabbers were not being acted upon. “I will resign if things continue this way,” Shivpal said.

A visibly angry Mulayam said the party had weakened under the Akhilesh regime. “The ministers are corrupt and have become a burden. They prefer to remain confined to their AC rooms in the bungalows..the party will suffer,” he remarked.

He also disclosed that Shivpal had offered to resign thrice earlier, but he had managed to persuade his brother to stay in the government. “The people cannot be fooled.”

According to party sources, Shivpal has been sulking after he was snubbed by Akhilesh over the merger of mafia don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s Quomi Ekta Dal with the SP a few months ago. Shivpal had played a crucial role in facilitating the merger.

Akhilesh, however, forced Mulayam to revoke the merger,  saying it would send a wrong message to the people in the poll-bound state. Shivpal had claimed that the merger had Mulayam’s stamp of approval.

Sources said that Shivpal was also miffed at being ignored while taking decisions with regard to party matters. Akhilesh is the president of the party’s state unit, while Shivpal is the national general secretary.

Reports of a rift within the family had also surfaced after Akhilesh was appointed as the chief minister following the SP’s massive victory in the 2012 Assembly elections.