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Journalism of Courage
Following Mulayam Singh Yadav’s death on October 10, the question hovering about in Samajwadi Party (SP) circles is if there will be rapprochement between SP president Akhilesh Yadav and his estranged uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav or if their feud will take a turn for the worse now that the family patriarch is no more.
As Mulayam’s condition started deteriorating, both Akhilesh and Shivpal were seen together on several occasions. When Mulayam was shifted to the ICU earlier this month and top leaders from different political parties visited the hospital to inquire about his health, Akhilesh, Shivpal, and Ram Gopal Yadav — Mulayam and Shivpal’s cousin, and SP’s principal general secretary — were there to receive them. Various photos that the SP shared on Twitter showed the three leaders together at the hospital.
After the SP founder’s demise on Monday, the two accompanied his body to his village Saifai. The following day, when the body was being taken to the Saifai Mela ground for “antim darshan (final view)”, Akhilesh, Shivpal, and the veteran leader’s son Aditya were on the truck transporting the body. The entire Yadav family stood together on stage when leaders cutting across party lines reached the venue to offer tribute to Mulayam. At one time, Shivpal put his hand on Akhilesh’s shoulder and consoled him as the SP president appeared emotional.
On the stage, when SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya gave a floral wreath to Ram Gopal Yadav for it to be placed on Mulayam’s body, Ram Gopal asked Maurya to pass it on to Shivpal, who was standing nearby. Then, Ramgopal and Shivpal offered the wreath to the body together.
When reporters in Saifai asked Shivpal on Wednesday if this would mark a fresh start between him and Akhilesh, the veteran leader said, “This is not the time … it will be seen when the (appropriate) time comes.” Asked if he could replace his brother as the SP’s “sanrakshak (patron)”, Shivpal reiterated, “This is not the time to take decisions.”
A bitter struggle
The ambitions of Shivpal and Akhilesh, who was made the chief minister by Mulayam in 2012, came to a head in 2016 amid a generational struggle for the SP’s control. On September 13, 2016, the family conflict intensified as Akhilesh divested Shivpal of all ministerial portfolios after Mulayam replaced him with Shivpal as the state party president. As Akhilesh took command of the SP in January 2017, Ram Gopal was among the family members who backed the then CM.
Shivpal broke away from the SP after the 2017 elections and formed the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia). The veteran leader joined hands with his nephew for the Assembly polls earlier this year and won from the constituency of Jaswantnagar on the SP’s symbol.
But the Opposition party’s failure to win the elections caused the old rift between Akhilesh and his uncle to resurface. Shivpal accused the SP of shutting him out of the alliance and legislature party meetings. In response, the SP chief reminded his uncle that he was not a member of the party and advised him to focus on strengthening his organisation.
Among those who visited Saifai to pay respect to Mulayam on Tuesday was Jaswant Nagar resident Pehlwan Singh Yadav. “If Akhilesh and Shivpal bury their differences and come together once again, that will benefit the SP and the party will perform better in the future polls,” said Pehlwan Singh. “Otherwise, the BJP and other parties will keep taking advantage of their differences. The party’s future depends on both Akhilesh and Shivpal.”
