With Shivpal Yadav by side, Akhilesh says ‘Samajwadi Parivar’ united

He also assured that the same “parivar” would unitedly face challenges, especially that of communal forces. “In the times to come, the prevailing challenges… the communal forces, which are trying to make an entry some how or the other… This Samajwadi Parivar will confront them unitedly,” said Akhilesh, adding that the entire SP family will work together to ensure that “UP mein fir se SP ki sarkar baney (SP will come to power again in UP)”.

This was the first Cabinet meeting after a week-long crisis in the Yadav family, which saw the feud between factions led by Shivpal and his nephew Akhilesh coming out into the open.

The CM said all ministers attended the meeting and various issues, including how to ensure that achievements of the SP government reach the masses, were discussed.

Referring to the feud in the family, he said that he wanted to tell all leaders, office-bearers and others that “there are no problems in the party”.

The family feud spilled into the open after Akhilesh stripped his uncle of key portfolios on September 13, hours after his father and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav replaced him with Shivpal as the party’s state unit chief. A rapprochement appeared on the cards on Saturday after Akhilesh restored all but one portfolio of Shivpal, and promised to support him as SP’s state unit president.

However, Sunil Singh Sajan, Anand Bhadauria and Sanjay Lathar — all MLCs — were shown the door by Shivpal for making “derogatory remarks” against Mulayam, indulging in anti-party activities and indiscipline. Besides the MLCs, several chiefs of SP’s frontal bodies were sacked on similar grounds by Shivpal, drawing protest from the pro-Akhilesh camp.

Meanwhile, among the major decisions taken by the cabinet on Tuesday, Akhilesh said pension of expert artisans will be raised to Rs 2,000 from

Rs 1,000. Also, free uniforms and books will be provided to students from weaker sections of society, who are admitted in private or aided schools under the Right to Education Act. While around Rs 5,000 will be spent on each student, overall, the government is estimated to spent around Rs 8 crore for 16,000 such students.

Besides, it was decided to increase fee and allowances of government counsel in high court and follow the same for the district level counsel in future. The Cabinet also cleared the proposal for construction of an institute of design in Sarojini Nagar area of Lucknow, for which about Rs 50 crore was proposed in the first phase.