Seven Akhilesh loyalists sacked by Shivpal, more quit in protest

Lucknow: After a brief lull, the Samajwadi Party is at war again.

Lucknow: After a brief lull, the Samajwadi Party is at war again.

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At least 20 youth leaders close to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav resigned on Monday hours after SP state president Shivpal Yadav threw out seven functionaries, including three MLCs, from the party for indiscipline.

The new round of hostilities between the young chief minister and his uncle broke out two days after party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav

forged an uneasy truce to end a damaging power struggle in the party five months ahead of the state election.

Shivpal’s move against party’s young is bound to hurt Akhilesh, who was involved with the youth wing and helped it expand.

Members of legislative council Sunil Singh Sajan, Anand Bhadauria and Sanjay Lathar were expelled by Shivpal, named the SP state chief as part of the peace formula, for “derogatory remarks” against Mulayam.

The party’s Youth Brigade national and state presidents, UP chief of Yuvjan Sabha were thrown out for indiscipline and anti-party activities.

While Akhilesh requested the leaders not to resign, the party had accepted all the resignations by late evening.

In an interview to Hindustan Times, Shivpal said there was no trouble in the party and Akhilesh would by the CM face. Sources close to

Akhilesh dismissed Shivpal’s remarks as hogwash.

The sackings come as a surprise, as on Saturday Akhilesh promised “full support” to the new state chief. He even

gave back all the portfolios but one — the public works department — to his uncle.

Shivpal, too, had made conciliatory noises. “There is no place for factionalism in the party. Those indulging in it

will be strictly dealt with,” he told party cadres.

But, the purge undertaken by him indicates the feuding is far from over.

The differences between the two came out in the open when early last week Akhilesh took away three portfolios from Shivpal after Mulayam removed the chief minister as the UP party president and named his brother to the position.