Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Friday expelled Akhilesh Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav from the party for six years. The SP supremo is addressing the media, as infighting within the family is threatening its poll prospects in 2017. He said, "I have worked really hard to make this party, what was their role in this? I work hard and they reap the fruits?". The SP chief defended his move saying, "To save the party, we have expelled both Ram Gopal and Akhilesh Yadav for six years from the party. For us party is the most important and our priority is to save the party." He also declared that the party will decide the next chief minister. Meanwhile, stung by Mulayam's showcause notice, Ramgopal Yadav has called an emergency meeting of SP on January 1 in his capacity as General Secretary. Ramgopal has taken Akhilesh's side in the ongoing tussle over control of the Samajwadi Party. UP Governor Ram Naik in the meantime said that the developments in Samajwadi Party are an intra-party issue and that he is closely watching the developments as they unfold, he told PTI. Here are the highlights:
