Amar Singh appointed SP general secretary

After brokering truce in his family, Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday asserted his authority and appointed party Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh as general secretary.

In a letter to Amar, the SP supremo expected him to work to “strengthen” the party in the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state, due to be held early next year.

The decision to make Amar the party general secretary came despite strong opposition from Mulayam’s son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and senior party leader and brother Ram Gopal Yadav, both of whom had accused Amar of “interfering” in the family affairs.

Akhilesh had, without taking names, said that some “outsider” was creating trouble. “How can the party function if outsiders start interfering in family affairs,” the chief minister had remarked.

Ram Gopal, however, minced no words in criticising Amar for his alleged role in the recent crisis in the family. “Everyone knows who that outsider is,” he had said. Amar’s bete noire and senior minister Azam Khan had also attacked him for meddling in family affairs.

Khan, who had been engaged in a verbal duel with Amar in the past, said that he had opposed the latter’s entry into the SP but ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam) wanted him re-inducted.

Shivpal Singh Yadav, another uncle of Akhilesh, however, defended Amar and said that everyone contributed to the growth of the party. “It is always better to take everyone along,” he said in reply to a query on Amar.

Amar’s appointment as general secretary may again trigger resentment within the family though Akhilesh on Tuesday sought to put up a brave face and said the family was united.

Flanked by newly appointed state unit president of the SP Shivpal Singh Yadav, with whom Akhilesh had a week long political tussle, the latter told reporters here that there was no problem in the family. “You (media) don’t need to worry....we all are united...nothing has changed,” the chief minister said after chairing a meeting of the state Cabinet.