Akhilesh’s ‘immaturity’ has weakened SP: Shivpal

Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSP-L) chief and Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA, Shivpal Yadav said he had decided to support Droupadi Murmu, nominated by the ruling NDA for the July 18 presidential elections.

Lucknow: Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSP-L) chief and Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA, Shivpal Yadav, estranged with SP chief and nephew Akhilesh Yadav for the second time, criticized the latter for his “immaturity”, which he claimed had weakened the SP.

Shortly before the 2022 UP assembly elections, Shivpal and Akhilesh had patched up the rift that occurred between them in 2016. (Pic for representation)

The fresh remarks against the Samajwadi Party chief came a day after Shivpal attended a dinner hosted by chief minister Yogi Adityanath for Droupadi Murmu, nominated by the ruling NDA for the July 18 presidential elections.

“I was invited by the chief minister yesterday… so I went. We met Droupadi Murmu and we have decided that we will vote for her,” Shivpal Yadav told news agency ANI.

To note, his nephew is supporting Yashwant Sinha, the opposition’s nominee for the presidential elections.

Shivpal further said: “I’d earlier said that I’m going to vote for the one (in the presidential polls) who asks for my vote. The Samajwadi Party did not call me, nor asked for my vote. CM Yogi Adityanath invited me yesterday where I met the NDA’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu and I have decided to vote for her”.

The 67-year-old leader also did not hesitate from taking a fresh dig at his nephew. “It seems that because of political immaturity, the party is getting weaker. A lot of people are leaving. If our suggestions had been heeded, the Samajwadi Party would have been in a better situation,” he said.

Shortly before the 2022 UP assembly elections, Shivpal and Akhilesh had patched up the rift that occurred between them in 2016.

The PSPL became an SP ally in the 2022 polls and Shivpal Yadav contested and won the Jaswantnagar assembly seat in February-March. The two leaders had a bitter fall-out over control of the party before the 2017 assembly elections. Weeks after the 2022 assembly election results, however, they again seemed to be at loggerheads when it was alleged that Shivpal Yadav was not invited to a key party meeting soon after the 2022 poll results.

Meanwhile, there has been buzz about the growing proximity between Yogi Adityanath and Shivpal Yadav.

In May, the UP chief minister lauded Shivpal in the state assembly, saying: “Whenever there was a discussion about Samajwadi (socialism), it was about Dr Ram Manohar Lohia or Jayprakash Narayan. But when I see writings on Dr Lohia, now I see Shivpal Singh Yadav. People should read about Dr Ram Manohar Lohia. Your (Shivpal) style of work gives you identity. But Samajwadi has been made a mirage.”

On Friday, apart from Shivpal, Samajwadi Party’s ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Om Prakash Rajbhar was also reported to be present at the dinner hosted by Yogi Adityanath. The presidential elections are scheduled on July 18.