Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Delhi durbar with son Akhilesh, in blow to brother Shivpal
This was the first time that Mulayam Singh had shared a political platform with both son Akhilesh Yadav and cousin Ramgopal Yadav since the 2016 feud between his son and brother Shivpal Yadav for control of the party.
Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav shared the stage with party president Akhilesh Yadav and general secretary Ramgopal Yadav for the first time in two years, in an apparent blow to estranged leader Shivpal Singh Yadav who claims his support for the recently-floated Samajwadi Secular Morcha (SSM).
This was the first time that Mulayam Singh had shared a political platform with both son Akhilesh Yadav and cousin Ramgopal Yadav since the 2016 feud between his son and brother Shivpal Yadav for controlling the party.
Though since the SSM came up on August 29, Mulayam Singh had attended two events at the party headquarters in Lucknow, but Akhilesh Yadav was not present at them. His presence at the event is also seen as a thaw in his political relationship with Ramgopal Yadav, whom he held responsible for all the behind the scene manoeuvring for Akhilesh Yadav’s takeover.
Attending the concluding event of a cycle rally at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, the SP patriarch asked the party workers to make sure that the party forms the government in Uttar Pradesh in 2022 and has a share in Delhi politics after the 2019 general elections.
He also urged the party workers not to indulge in corruption and asserted that the country, farmers and youth will be empowered only when the SP gets stronger.
“There are over two crore unemployed people in the country. I asked the prime minister what happened to the promise of providing jobs and Rs 15 lakh to the account of each citizen in the country. I told him that he betrayed the people and formed the government based on lies. There is no difference between Samajwadi Party’s promises and actions,” Mulayam Singh Yadav said.
“I will also tell Akhilesh Yadav to involve women in various committees and have them at various party levels starting from the block,” he said.
Demanding a caste census in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav said, “Social justice in the state is possible only when there is a caste census.”
He alleged that hospitals in the state treat patients based on their caste and the police take action after determining the caste of the complainants.
Akhilesh Yadav said that it was said that demonetisation will check corruption, wipe out black money, and cut down terrorism and Maoism but all are intact. He also alleged that 50,000 farmers have committed suicide till now and lakhs of factories have been closed down.
“There are no opportunities for employment. Sugarcane farmers are an unhappy lot as their dues are still pending and the chief minister (Yogi Adityanath) says that excess production of sugarcane causes diabetes.
“The chief minister has asked cane farmers not to grow sugarcane as sugar causes diabetes and had urged people to chant ‘hanuman chalisa’ to get rid of the monkey menace. But 2019 will determine who flees and who stays,” he said.
On the row over the Rafale fighter aircraft deal, Akhilesh Yadav demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe and said that without it, the truth would not come out.
(with agencies inputs)
