“We have written a letter to the UP CM to sack Pawan Pandey of the ministerial position over a clash with MLC Ashu Malik,” Shivpal Yadav announced. He, however, said there was no dispute in the party. “Parivaar mein koi vivadh nahi, party mein koi vivadh nahi hai, sab ek hain [There is no dispute within the family nor the party, we are united]."
Pandey had clashed with party MLC Ashu Malik on Monday. He had accused Malik of beating him up. Malik, on the other hand, had alleged that Pandey had him at the Chief Minister’s residence. However, no FIR has been registered in the matter so far.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav went to meet Governor Ram Naik in Lucknow, ANI reported. However, the agenda of the sudden meeting is not yet known.
Pandey's expulsion comes a day after Mulayam Singh Yadav reiterated that the Yadav family was united despite the apparent power tussle between his son, Akhilesh Yadav, and his brother, Shivpal Yadav.
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 cousins Ramgopal Yadav, who supports Akhilesh, from the party for six years.
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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