Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav on Thursday said the party's leadership had erred by abruptly replacing Akhilesh Yadav as its Uttar Pradesh unit president, and that they could simply have told him to resign, PTI reported. Ramgopal Yadav said there were "people who are taking advantage of Mulayam Singh Yadav's simplicity", and stressed that these individuals didn't have the party's interest in mind, reported ANI.

His statements follow speculation about a feud in the Yadav family after Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav was replaced by his uncle Shivpal Yadav as the party's state chief. Ramgopal said "differences had arisen due to some misunderstanding". In the mean time, Akhilesh Yadav has stopped all communication with his father and Party President Mulayam Singh Yadav, The Times of India reported.

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In an attempt to resolve the feud, Ramgopal Yadav, who is the party's national general secretary and Mulayam Singh Yadav's cousin, met the chief minister on Thursday. Ramgopal said, "He [Akhilesh] should have been asked to resign and he would have tendered it. He could have been told that elections are coming and you continue as chief minister and the work of state president will be taken care of by him [Shivpal]. Some misunderstanding has taken place and there is nothing more to it."

Shivpal Yadav told ANI on Thursday that no party member can disobey Mulayam Singh Yadav's decisions and that it was important to remain united if the party was to be reelected to power.

Ramgopal Yadav also dismissed as gossip speculation that Akhilesh Yadav would be made working president of the party. He said, "When netaji [Mulayam] is president, there is no such question." Further, Akhilesh Yadav's offhand comment about "outsiders" influencing the family dispute had many believing he was referring to Rajya Sabha MP and party leader Amar Singh, The Times of India reported. While Singh has denied any role in the feud, Ramgopal Yadav remained evasive on the issue.

Even as party officials remained reluctant to reveal too many details of the actual dynamics within the family, The Indian Express reported that the move to replace Akhilesh Yadav was triggered by fears of an anti-incumbency vote against the SP government. Akhilesh Yadav had responded by stripping his uncle Shivpal of his key cabinet portfolios and launched a campaign for the upcoming state elections on Wednesday. Shivpal Yadav then reportedly met Mulayam Singh Yadav and told him he could not continue to work as a demoted minister in the government. However, Shivpal Yadav told ANI that Akhilesh was well within his rights as chief minister to withdraw portfolios.