Akhilesh leaves Lohia event before Shivpal enters with Mulayam

LUCKNOW: The feud in the ruling Samajwadi Party’s first family was out in the open at an event held to mark the 49th death anniversary of party ideologue and socialist

LUCKNOW: The feud in the ruling Samajwadi Party’s first family was out in the open at an event held to mark the 49th death anniversary of party ideologue and socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia on Wednesday.

HT Image

Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who reached the venue an hour behind schedule, attended the function at the city’s sprawling Lohia Park with cabinet minister and younger brother Shivpal Yadav.

His son and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh, locked in a power struggle with Shivpal, had left even before Mulayam arrived at the venue.

Akhilesh’s supporters, most of them members of the SP youth brigade followed their leader, leaving half the chairs empty, the latest sign that the rift is widening as the state election, due early next year, draws close.

Recent decisions in the party and the government indicate that Mulayam is backing Shivpal, also the party’s state chief, over Akhilesh.

Last week, overlooking the CM’s reservation, the party joined hands with the Quami Ekta Dal of mafia don-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari. The merger, called off in June, was announced by Shivpal.

In the past, party leaders have put up a joint front at Lohia’s death or birth anniversary events, using the occasions to reach out to workers. But on Wednesday, the buzz was missing and it wasn’t lost on Mulayam.

“Earlier, workers used to register strong protest when rivals attacked SP leadership. The old fervour is missing ,” he said addressing party workers.

Mulayam also pulled them up for abandoning the ideals of Lohia. “Instead of campaigning for the assembly election, workers are busy shouting slogans,” he said.

The party saw its fair share of sloganeering in August when the differences in the Yadav clan came out in the open. Akhilesh stripped Shivpal of three portfolios after Mulayam removed the chief minister as the UP party chief and named his brother to the position.

Shivpal returned to the cabinet as part of a truce formula but the party is increasingly looking divided. The feud could have a bearing on polls, with Bahujan Samaj Party eyeing a comeback and the BJP keen to repeat its Lok Sabha success.