Your CM is a liar': Chaos at SP meet as Mulayam, Akhilesh argue heatedly

Lucknow: Chaos broke out at the Samajwadi Party meet on Monday at the party's headquarters in Lucknow as Mulayam Yadav and his son, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav got into a heated argument.

The leaders engaged in a verbal spat during Mulayam's address when he said, "Your chief minister is a liar (Aapka mukhyamantri jhooth bolta hai)".

However, following the acrimonious meeting, Akhilesh met his father at the latter's residence.

The party inched closer to a split when Akhilesh sacked his uncle Shivpal Yadav along with three other ministers close to him on Sunday. Shivpal, who is the party’s state president, retaliated by expelling Ram Gopal Yadav, who is close to Akhilesh, from the party for six years.

Following are the highlights of what happened:

• Akhilesh and Shivpal Yadav hug each other at Mulayam's insistence following the meeting.

• “I am not a weak person, even to this day. Do not think that the youth is not with me. If you can't face criticism, you can't be a leader,” Mulayam said in a veiled attack on the CM. He claimed that power had gone to Akhilesh's head after the latter became CM.

• Mulayam expressed sadness over the escalating internal rift in his party at a time when his leaders must be working for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls.

• “I feel really sad because of this rift in our family. Instead of fighting our weaknesses we are fighting amongst ourselves,” Mulayam said, referring to the growing differences between his son Akhilesh Yadav and brother Shivpal Yadav.

• However, Mulayam stated that Akhilesh would not be removed from his post as the UP CM.

• Mulayam Singh came out in strong support of Amar Singh and said “I can't leave Amar Singh or Shivpal Yadav. All of Amar Singh's sins are forgiven”.

• "I can't tolerate anything against Amar & Shivpal; Amar saved me from going to jail; mere donning of red cap does notmake one Samajwadi," Mulayam said.

• “I will never forget the work Shivpal has done for me and Samajwadi Party. We have worked really hard to form this party,” Mulayam said.

• UP CM Akhilesh Yadav offers to resign from the top job, says he was hurt when his father Mulayam removed him as the UP party chief.

• "Let 'netaji' (Mulayam) install a chief minister who he feels is honest, my father is my guru, Akhilesh" said.

• "People are saying a new party will be formed. Who is forming a new party? I am not," Akhilesh said.
• Shivpal Yadav countered Akhilesh’s claims and said that the CM had told him about floating a new party.
• “Akhilesh Yadav had said to me that he will form another party, he said it, he said it to me. We can not tolerate liars in SP, we just can't,” Shivpal said
• Supporters of rival Samajwadi Party factions on Monday clashed outside the party headquarters here ahead of the crucial meeting called by Mulayam Singh Yadav.
• Camp followers of Akhilesh and his sacked uncle Shivpal Yadav exchanged blows as tensions mounted before the meet.
• Police used force to disperse the slogan-shouting supporters who tried to break the cordon to march towards the party office.

Akhilesh on Sunday first sacked Shivpal, his uncle and party's state unit chief, along with three other "pro-Amar Singh" ministers from his Cabinet. Mulayam, in a tit-for-tat action, expelled Ramgopal, pro-CM cousin and SP's national general secretary, from the party for six years.

The crisis in the first family of Uttar Pradesh unfolded on Sunday when Akhilesh held a meeting of party legislators, a day ahead of a mega meeting of party MPs, MLAs, MLCs and ministers called by Mulayam.

After the meeting, the Chief Minister recommended to Governor Ram Naik that Shivpal, Narad Rai and Om Prakash Singh (all Cabinet ministers) and Sayeda Shadab Fatima (MoS -Independent charge) be sacked from his ministry. This was accepted immediately.