Shivpal writes to Akhilesh, talks of new political alternative

LUCKNOW : Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSP-L) chief Shivpal Yadav’s move of writing an ‘official’ letter with a ‘personal touch’ to Samajwadi Party (SP) national president and his nephew Akhilesh Yadav has once again renewed the oft-repeated political speculation about a possible political patch up between the two. Shivpal, on his official letterhead as the MLA of Jaswant Nagar, wrote a letter of thanks to Akhilesh in response to the SP’s move of withdrawing its plea seeking his disqualification as the member of the UP Legislative Assembly.

Although as per the date on the letter, Shivpal wrote the letter to Akhilesh on May 29— a day after UP Assembly speaker HN Dixit allowed the withdrawal of the SP’s plea filed by senior SP leader and also the leader of opposition in UP Assembly Ram Govind Chaudhary on September 4, 2019—the message became public now. Shivpal addressed Akhilesh as ‘Dear’ and the ‘National

President of Samajwadi Party’ and signed off as ‘With love, yours Shivpal Yadav’.

In the message to Akhilesh, Shivpal says: “On your insistence, the legislative assembly speaker has returned the plea that had sought cancellation of my assembly membership. A million thanks for reposing faith. This certainly is not a mere political incident, but because of such a clear, constructive, and positive approach of yours it would also lead to the emergence of a new political alternative under your leadership.” With the withdrawal of the plea, Shivpal would indisputably stay an MLA from Jaswant Nagar assembly seat.

Shivpal and Akhilesh Yadav had fallen out in August 2016. Akhilesh became the national president of SP in January 2017. Completely sidelined in the party, Shivpal Yadav had floated the PSP-L before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and contested against SP’s official candidate and the then sitting MP Akshay Yadav from Firozabad. However, both lost as the BJP wrested the seat from the SP.