Mulayam’s brother-son balancing act
Uttar Pradesh strongman Mulayam Singh Yadav continued his balancing act between his son and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and brother Shivpal Yadav who has formed of a rival party, the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party, and a movement, the Samajwadi Secular Morcha. On Tuesday, he visited Shivpal’s political HQ, took a tour of the premises, spoke to supporters, even accepted a flag of the Morcha before zipping off to the SP HQ, where he met Akhilesh and workers and asked them to strengthen the party.
Shivpal has said he formed the party and launched the Morcha with Yadav’s blessings and repeated this, for the first time in the latter’s presence. “I asked Netaji thrice before forming the Morcha. I have formed it with his consent and blessings. Both he and I had suffered much disrespect in SP because of gossip mongers and sycophants.”
Shivpal’s party HQ, on 6, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, was alloted to him by the Yogi Adityanath-led Bharatiya Janata Party government. The premises were occupied previously by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati who vacated them in June. The rapidity of the allotment has set tongues wagging about the new party’s possible spoiler-effect in next year’s Lok Sabha elections. Akhilesh and Mayawati have already sewn up an alliance for the election although its exact contours haven’t been revealed.
Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said: “What can I say on this?” Another party leader said: “They are brothers and they will stay brothers. So far as politics is concerned, he is with Samajwadi Party. Even today he asked us to strengthen Samajwadi Party to fight BJP.”
The visit seems to have been a planned one. Seeing the crowd at the venue, Yadav said: “When you all were aware that I was coming here, then you should have had organised this programme at a bigger place.”
Shivpal, with Mulayam, sitting by his side said: “We have proposed making Netaji the national president of our Morcha and we will make a formal proposal at national convention.”
Shivpal said Yadav had founded, expanded, and strengthened the SP and that following that example, he too would bring together Lohiawaadis and Gandhiwaadis and strengthen the Morcha and the new party.
Mulayam has visited the SP office in Lucknow about half a dozen times in recent weeks, even sharing the stage with Akhilesh in Delhi at Jantar Mantar at the end of a cycle rally by the party in New Delhi last month.
Before October 12, political circles concluded that Mulayam had realigned himself with Akhilesh and distanced himself from Shivpal. That perception changed on October 12 and could change even more after Tuesday.