Hours before a crucial meeting of Samajwadi Party legislators called by UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday, the party’s national general secretary Ramgopal Yadav has urged the Akhilesh camp to “sharpen the attack” as the Yadav family feud seemed to deepen.
Datelined ‘Mumbai, 23 October, 6 am’, Ramgopal began the letter by saying: “We want that chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s leadership see the next government in UP; they want he loses come what may”.
The letter came less than 12 hours are the Samajwadi Party expelled Udaiveer Singh, a leader close to Akhilesh for anti-party activities, signaling a hardening of stand against rebels.
Ramgopal’s handwritten letter on a Rajya Sabha letterhead terms Akhilesh Yadav opponents as ‘they’ he wrote, “Our thinking is positive, theirs negative”.
“Akhilesh has such people with him who had given their sweat for the party and suffered humiliation for the party; while they have such people with them who have earned thousands of crore of rupees and misused power.”
He signed off saying, “Some people are engaged in issuing statements and misleading (you). There is no need to be misled. Rath yatra (that Akhilesh is due to launch on November 3) is like a fish hook in their throats. You need to sharpen it.”
{{/usCountry}}He signed off saying, “Some people are engaged in issuing statements and misleading (you). There is no need to be misled. Rath yatra (that Akhilesh is due to launch on November 3) is like a fish hook in their throats. You need to sharpen it.”
{{/usCountry}}“Those who are opposing Akhilesh will never get into Vidhan Sabha. Don’t fear, don’t waver. Victory is where Akhilesh is”.
Ramgopal took no names in the letter the overtones suggest that he was pointing to the other side led by his cousin and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Last week too Ramgopal wrote a letter in which he warned Mulayam that if party’s fortunes declines in the assembly elections, he (Mulayam) would be responsible and “history will not forgive him.”
The Rajya Sabha MP once considered part of the SP think tank has now thrown his lot behind Akhilesh and is virtually at odds with his cousins Mulayam and Shivpal.
Read | SP expels leader who asked Mulayam to make Akhilesh party chief