Fresh tussle in SP as Akhilesh expels five Shivpal loyalists

A press statement issued on Sunday by the president of the SP’s Uttar Pradesh unit, Naresh Uttam Patel, said Rajesh Yadav of Hardoi, Mohd Shahid and Deepak Mishra of Lucknow, and Rakesh Yadav and Kallu Yadav of Noida have been expelled following a directive from the party’s national president Akhilesh.

Patel said in the statement that the leaders faced action for involvement in anti-party activities, indiscipline and violation of party orders.

Mulayam, on the other hand, told mediapersons in Mainpuri on Sunday that Shivpal did not speak to him before making the announcement to float the secular front. However, at a gathering there, Mulayam defended Shivpal. “Yeh jo Shakuni kaha hai Shivpal ne, woh vichar karna kaun hai Shakuni…. hum nahin batayenge…aur wo jo bola hai…sahi bola hai (This

Shakuni that Shivpal has referred to, give it a thought… I won’t say… and he has said the right thing),” he said.

Announcing the new front two days ago, Shivpal had targeted Ramgopal Yadav. “What he (Ramgopal) has done, only Shakuni Mama did, so, it’s my request to him to first read the Gita,” he said.

Mulayam also indicated that he was strongly opposed to a split in the Samajwadi Party.

“Efforts should be made to strengthen the Samajwadi Party,” he said, when asked about Shivpal’s comments about the new front.

Mulayam blamed Akhilesh’s decision to ally with the Congress, which he said had tried to “ruin” him, for the Samajwadi’s whitewash in the elections.

“The alliance with the Congress is responsible for the present poor state of the party. I had advised Akhilesh not to go ahead with it, but he did. The SP is itself responsible for its defeat and not the people of the state,” he said.

“The Congress left no stone unturned to ruin my life. It (Congress) lodged cases against me, and Akhilesh forged an alliance with it,” Mulayam said during a visit to Junesa village in party bastion Mainpuri, where he was to unveil a statue of martyr Dharmendra Yadav.

Shivpal on Sunday praised Mulayam, saying: “Jahan Netaji (Mulayam) khade ho jaate hain, wahin se Samajwadi Party ki shuruwat hoti hai (Samajwadi Party starts from where is Netaji standing).”