Lucknow: In what seems like a reconciliatory move, Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav on Wednesday said that his nephew Akhilesh Yadav is the president of the party and it is on him to take it forward.
Shivpal, the former president of the party’s UP unit, said, “The party is now in the hands of Akhilesh Yadav and it is completely his wish on how he plans to take it ahead.”
He, however, refrained from commenting on his political future. “I am an MLA and have more than four years of it left as of now. I will continue to do my job. I have a long innings ahead of me and would only take a decision after proper consultation with my supporters.”
The Samajwadi Party on Monday released a list of its 55-member national executive, with its chief as Akhilesh Yadav but the names of veterans Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Singh Yadav were missing from it.
There was suspense as to whether party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav will remain its patron. SP spokesperson Rajendra Chowdhury said he was not aware of any such post.
The chacha-bhateeja fell out last year ahead of the UP Assembly polls. Amid souring family ties, Akhilesh Yadav convened an emergency meeting of the national convention on the New Year's Day to replace father Mulayam Singh Yadav as the national president of the Samajwadi Party. During this prolonged family feud, Mulayam Singh Yadav has been backing brother Shivpal. But at the same time, Akhilesh has, if anything, cemented his position in the party, while the patriarch has held on to his brother.
That has left little space for Shivpal to maneuver an independent political line for himself — both within and outside of SP. In a party cloistered around a family and stilted by a dominant and upwardly mobile caste group, any attempt to challenge the patriarch to form a separate outfit is fraught with immense risk.
Shivpal Yadav, despite being completely marginalized has therefore waited for the right moment and opportunity to strike back. At the SP national convention, Akhilesh Yadav by amending the party constitution will attempt to close all exit routes for the beleaguered uncle.
Speaking on the performance of the Yogi Adityanath government, he said, "The people of Uttar Pradesh must understand how the government was formed at the time and what were the core issues that the people had voted for. The people will then review the government’s performance.”
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