Round One goes to Akhilesh, party’s prospects get beating!
Though the first round has gone to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav after uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav resigned from his posts in the government and the party, deep cracks have appeared both in the first family as well as the Samajwadi Party.
And no one will be more sad than its founder president Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose various formulas have failed to placate his brother. To save the party from an imminent split ahead of the 2017 assembly elections, he will have to take some immediate steps so as to protect his son while placating his brother on Friday.
Today’s statements coming from the Yadav family had given enough indications about their differences over Mulayam’s buddy Amar Singh. While Akhilesh and party’s Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav hinted action against Amar Singh, Shivpal, who had brought him back to the party, came out in his defence.
As such party’s rank and file was worried about Akhilesh’s belligerent mood as they feared he may even take the extreme step of walking the poll trek independent of his father and uncles.
Close party sources had revealed if pushed to the wall, Akhilesh may take the extreme step. ‘After all, he has Mulayam’s blood running in his veins,’ they added.
Mulayam has fought his way to the position he now holds in the Indian politics. ‘Otherwise also Mulayam knows how to get family members into agreements,’ said a senior leader while insisting the party would not split till netaji was around.
But it seems Netaji has failed to bring about a truce between his brother and son.
Many are, however, of the view that the party needs Akhilesh, who has cultivated a popular support base, both in the party and among the public, to sail through the choppy waters, just as he requires his father’s blessings to rein in trouble makers in the SP.
In the words of a political expert, ‘Young Akhilesh is the future just as Mulayam is its past. We have accepted it, it’s high time the seniors too realise it. He has established his political mettle by manoeuvring his way through the chakravyuh his uncles crafted.’
The twin issues -- removal of the ministers and the chief secretary -- that triggered the intense feud in the family have receded in the background as the Yadavs’ immediate concern had been the family bonhomie that they were so proud of before the 2012 polls. At the political level, the party’s electoral prospects as well as its unity are at stake.
Round one has gone to Akhilesh. He has got rid of the tainted ministers and controversial bureaucrat he was never fond of. It also became possible because the chief minister had apparently implement the diktats of his father with respect to removal of ministers and chief secretary.
Also, with today’s development, Akhilesh seems to have got rid of the tag that his government was run by his uncles.
Explaining the control that the dad and the uncles wanted on Akhilesh government, political analyst Rajesh Singh quoting Chanakya had said, “The ruler can never be dictated as he rules as he wishes.”
One thing is, however, certain. The ongoing family feud has damaged the electoral prospects of the party in the upcoming elections.
“Akhilesh’s focus on development, that had brought back the party into the race, stands derailed, “said Singh.
Senior SP leader Vinod Dubey hopes that despite the damage, the party will recoup just in time. According to him, Akhilesh’s personal image will take the party forward in the coming elections.
CLOSE PARTY SOURCES HAD REVEALED IF PUSHED TO THE WALL, AKHILESH MAY TAKE THE EXTREME STEP. ‘AFTER ALL, HE HAS MULAYAM’S BLOOD RUNNING IN HIS VEINS,’ THEY ADDED.