SP founder and MP Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday replaced SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav with brother Shivpal Yadav as secretary in the Ram Manohar Lohia Trust, which has been run by the SP leaders for over two decades. Mulayam took the step during a meeting of the Trust on Thursday. Shivpal, SP MLA from Jaswant nagar, was among the seven members who attended the meeting of the trust headed by Mulayam who is the chief trustee. After the meeting, Shivpal told reporters that Mulayam has removed Ram Gopal from the post of secretary and appointed him in his place. The meeting was not attended by Akhilesh, Ram Gopal and four other SP leaders who are also members of the Trust. A few weeks ago, Mulayam had removed four Akhilesh supporters from the membership of the Trust. Mulayam and Shivpal have been largely kept out of the publicity for the upcoming national convention of the SP in Agra scheduled to be held on October 5. Shivpal said he has not received any invitation till now. He said Mulayam will hold a press conference on September 25 when he would announce a few significant decisions. SP inducts BSP leaders On a day when Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday inducted over two dozen former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leaders, he also indicated that chances remain of a possible alliance with the party. Among the leaders who joined the SP on Thursday were former BSP state chief Indrajeet Saroj, former MLAs Heeramani Patel, Asif Jafri, Radhelal Rawat, Nirmal Verma, Virendra Verma and Shyam Sundar Bharti, and a dozen others who were had fought the assembly elections earlier this year. Saroj had left the BSP last month after claiming that Mayawati had demanded money from him. Speaking to the media, Saroj said, “Earlier we used to run away from the media. We were afraid of being caught on camera while speaking to media. Immediately, we would be taken to task. There was an undeclared emergency in force, the way there is an undeclared emergency in India under Narendra Modi’s rule.” He was referring to the virtual absence of BSP leaders talking to the media. On why he joined the SP, Saroj claimed that he had offers from the BJP as well but rejected it calling it a “party of liars”. “I wanted to join a party that has an ideology similar to mine. I sat with Akhilesh ji in the Assembly for five years and realised that he is a progressive leader. I can assure that the SP will form its government in the state in 2022 but will definitely release a trailer in 2019,” said Saroj. Akhilesh targeted the BJP and its governments at the Centre and in the state but remained guarded in his comments on Mayawati. Akhilesh said Saroj will have the liberty to put forth his views because there is a “democratic system”. He said the people need to be vigilant as BJP is an expert in creating issues. “These people keep opium with them. They can release these opium of issues anytime. We were criticised for the Mathura incident but now there are photographs of almost all the leaders with (Dera Sacha Sauda chief) Ram Rahim. His daughter is said to have escaped to Nepal through Uttar Pradesh. The police will know this better,” he said. To a question that if the possibility of alliance with Mayawati will be diminished after Saroj’s induction into SP, Akhilesh said: “Agar unka hi sathi humare sath aa jaye toh sambandh achhe honge ya kharab honge (Will our relations improve or deteriorate if a colleague of hers comes with us?).” He added that the SP’s doors are open for whoever wants to come to the party. Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Ahmad Hasan, however, said that Akhilesh is the only rival to Modi. “In this war, there is Narendra Modi ji on one side and Akhilesh ji on the other side. There is no one else,” he said.
