Lucknow: In a crucial turn of events in the battle for supremacy in the Samajwadi Party, Mulayam Singh Yadav is likely to announce a new outfit on Monday along with virtually defunct Lok Dal, and retain the ‘samajwadi’ tag in its name, sources in the two parties have indicated.
The hint of an imminent split in the SP came yesterday when Mulayam and his brother-aide Shivpal Yadav stayed away from a state convention of the party-- which they had founded 25 years ago -- saying they were not invited. “Mulayam will hold a press conference at the Lohia Trust office here tomorrow to announce a new party with Lok Dal,” Lok Dal president Sunil Singh said on Sunday.
He said the word ‘samajwadi’ (socialist) will be retained in the name of the new party. Even as the SP prepared for the convention, sources said the two brothers pondered over formation of a secular front under the banner of Lok Dal, hinting fresh differences in the party weakened already by the factional feud which proved to be its nemesis in the Assembly polls earlier this year.
The strains were palpable ahead of its state and national convention, with Mulayam replacing Akhilesh Yadav loyalist Ram Gopal with Shivpal Yadav as the secretary of the Lohia Trust. Shivpal had announced in June that he would float the Samajwadi Secular Front “to fight communal forces”.
“As there is no sign of any truce, it is a crucial time for Shivpal to decide his future course,” a close confidant of Shivpal said. Asked about Singh's claims that the two brothers will work under the banner of Lok Dal, another Shivpal loyalist said, “Mulayam may not like to shun the Samajwadi tag. The situation will be clear Monday when netaji (Mulayam) will disclose his future course of action.”
The posters at the SP convention here yesterday did not have pictures of Mulayam and Shivpal, giving ample hints about their place in the party.
