LUCKNOW: After two days of political upheaval in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has admitted that there is a feud in the government due to the interference of an “outsider”.
“There is no feud in the family, there is feud in the government. If any outsider interferes, how will it function?” Akhilesh asked on the sidelines of a function held at his residence to give a cheque of Rs1 million (Dh54,910) as compensation to the family of a contractual worker.
Though Akhilesh did not take the name of the outsider, the re-entrant in the party and Rajya Sabha MP, Amar Singh, is reported to have irked Akhilesh.
The last 72 hours have changed the political scene in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The developments have brought to the fore the political feud within the Yadav family. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday sacked two of his cabinet ministers — mining minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati and panchayati raj (local bodies) minister Raj Kishore Singh — a day after he removed his chief secretary, Deepak Singhal.
The action resulted in a quick reaction within the party. Mulayam removed Akhilesh from the state president’s post of Samajawadi Party (SP) and appointed his brother Shivpal Yadav in his place. Akhilesh immediately reacted and divested Shivpal of important portfolios like public works department, irrigation, cooperative and revenue. Since then, the feud has been raging with little signs of subsiding.
On Wednesday, all eyes were on Akhilesh’s next move. “Family is one, feud is in (the) government. PWD minister (Shivpal) knows why (the) chief secretary was removed. It is true that some decisions are mine and some are Netaji’s (Mulayam’s). But who does not follow Netaji’s instructions?” Akhilesh added.
No official statement has been issued but Akhilesh remained at his residence in Lucknow amid reports that Mulayam has called a meeting of his family members in Delhi. Shivpal reportedly reached Delhi while Ramgopal is also in Delhi. The Governor’s office denied any request from the chief minister’s office for a meeting. No resignation has been received officially. However, party sources claimed that Shivpal has informed Mulayam that he is ready to resign.
A closer look at the developments, however, reveals that these actions were not spontaneous but had been simmering for quite some time. The developments have put SP leaders, ministers and legislators on tenterhook. None of them are now openly showing their allegiance hoping that things may be sorted out. Another group, however, is demanding Mulayam should take charge as the chief minister to end the drama.
From the outset, Akhilesh carried the immense pressure of handling both the growing ambitions of his family members and running the government. It is a known fact that decisions like appointing ministers, transferring officials and others never remained entirely in his domain and were influenced by others in the family. The story continued with Akhilesh earning the tag of heeding to Mulayam’s orders.
Insiders say that two axes of power have developed within the Yadav family with Akhilesh and his uncle Ramgopal Yadav forming one and Shivpal, who has lately drifted towards Mulayam’s family along with Amar Singh, the re-entrant in the party, forming the other.
Sacked mining minister Prajapati had the blessings of Mulayam’s family and Raj Kishore was close to Shivpal. Akhilesh sacked them after getting enough inputs about their activities. Sacked chief secretary Singhal was earlier the principal secretary to Shivpal and later joined Mulayam’s family members.
Not taking it easily, pressure mounted on Mulayam to settle scores and Shivpal was made the party’s state president. But with elections approaching, Akhilesh knew that his image of being a soft chief minister will not deliver and he immediately clipped the wings of Shivpal. The situation has now come to a standstill with both sides not relenting.
As Akhilesh and Shivpal are pitted against each other, the gainer appears to be Akhilesh who has taken the party beyond the rhetoric of Mulayam invoking Babri Masjid and projecting a development image. Shivpal who earned his position by virtue of being the brother of Mulayam will have a tough time in keeping the party cadres on his side in a place where people flock towards power.
— The writer is a journalist based in Lucknow
