Lucknow: The crisis in the Samajwadi Party has now reached a crucial make-or-break stage with SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav convening a meeting of party ministers, MPs and legislators on Monday and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav holding a similar meeting on Sunday.
The party, on Saturday, also expelled MLC Udaiveer Singh who had written a letter to Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav asking him to step down and point Mr Akhilesh Yadav as national president. The party also appointed new chiefs of the frontal organisation.
The expelled MLC, said to be close to Akhilesh Yadav, had levelled wild allegations against Mr Yadav’s family members in his four page letter, accusing them of conspiring against son Akhilesh.
The state executive, earlier in the day, passed a resolution ratifying action against those who had spoken or acted against Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav. It was after this that Udaiveer Singh was expelled.
The Chief Minister’s decision to convene a meeting of party ministers and legislators a day ahead of the party president’s meeting is said to be a move to pre-empt any decision that Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav may take and get it ratified at the meeting.
The situation in the ruling party is worsening was evident on Saturday morning when senior party MPs including Mr Beni Prasad Varma, Reoti Raman Singh, Naresh Agarwal, Kironmoy Nanda, UP Assembly speaker Mata Prasad Pandey and state president Shivpal Yadav met Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav at the latter’s residence and discussed the current situation. Later, the senior leader met the CM too.
Akhilesh Yadav, around the same time, held a meeting at his official residence with expelled youth leaders and his supporters. The CM did not attend the state executive meeting of the party. In fact, he has not visited the party office since September 13, the day Mr Shivpal Yadav replaced him as state president.
The CM’s security that was normally posted at the SP office since Mr Yadav often went there unannounced has also been moved to the Janeshwar Misra Trust office – the new meeting point of expelled and rebel youth leaders.
