Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s last-minute pullout from the entourage that accompanied his father and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to Azamgarh on Friday led to much speculation.
It was the first time that Akhilesh skipped a major event concerning Mulayam, the party or the government.
Some people in the party said Akhilesh developed abdominal cramps. But other sources claimed he left the airport in a huff following a tiff with his father over differences related to some political and administrative decisions.
The chief minister’s office was silent on why he did not go to Azamgarh. Even during the function, not a word was spoken on his absence. Akhilesh Yadav was scheduled to lay the foundation stone of a sugar mill and dedicate to the public nearly 300 development projects for the constituency, along with his father.
In the evening, Rajendra Chaudhary, the state spokesperson for the SP, said: “I think he did not go for health reasons. I met him later. He looked fine.” Sources said there had been some talk between Mulayam and Akhilesh over transfer of an IAS officer who is reportedly close to the CM and happened to rub some SP leaders close to Mulayam the wrong way.