Samajwadi Party President Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday reiterated that the Yadav family was united despite the apparent power tussle between his son, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, and his brother, state party chief Shivpal Yadav. "Humara parivaar ek hai, party ek hai, poori taakat ek hai [Our family is united, party is united, our entire force is united]," Mulayam Singh Yadav said at a press conference in Lucknow with Shivpal Yadav seated beside him. Akhilesh Yadav, however, did not attend the briefing.
He further said that with just "two months left for the polls", it was redundant to be asked about him taking over the chief minister's post. "Let us win the majority [in the Legislative Assembly]. You will know our chief ministerial candidate for the 2017 elections," the Samajwadi Party chief said.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, however, declined to comment on whether Shivpal Yadav and the other ministers who were stripped of their state Cabinet portfolios would get back their roles. "I leave this to the chief minister," he said. On Sunday, Akhilesh Yadav had sacked his uncle for the second time from the state Cabinet. Hours after the chief minister's move, Mulayam Singh Yadav had dismissed Rajya Sabha MP and his cousinz Ramgopal Yadav, who supports Akhilesh, from the party for six years.
On Monday, the Samajwadi Party chief had called Shivpal Yadav a "leader of the masses" and said that he would never forget the work he had done for him and the party. In an apparent reference to his son, however, Mulayam Singh Yadav had said, "Drunkards and goons have been added to the party. You get some power, and it goes to your head. If you cannot face criticism, you cannot be a leader."
At the press conference on Tuesday, Mulayam Singh Yadav rebuked the journalists for questioning him about the party's national general secretary Amar Singh. "Why bring into everything? I will not give even a single controversial answer, no matter how many controversial questions you ask," he said.
On Monday, Akhilesh Yadav had denied rumours that he was separating from the Samajwadi Party to form a new outfit ahead of the 2017 state Assembly elections. Shivpal Yadav, however, accused him of lying at the meeting and said Akhilesh Yadav had told him he was forming a new party. Clashes between their supporters had erupted outside the party office where the meeting was held.
The infighting within the Samajwadi Party began after Shivpal Yadav was appointed the state party chief. The move, which was reportedly implemented because of fears of an anti-incumbency vote, did not go down well with Akhilesh Yadav, who then relieved his uncle of major portfolios in the Cabinet. Mulayam Singh Yadav had to intervene to bring the situation under control. The chief minister's supporters are functioning independently from a separate office in Lucknow.
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