Will Accept Cabinet Berth if Offered By Akhilesh: Shivpal Yadav

Talking to HuffPost India, Shivpal Yadav said he does not care for positions.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and uncle Shivpal. (Photo: The Quint)

Hinting at a possible rapprochement with his nephew Akhilesh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav said he will accept a ministerial berth if the chief minister offers him one, subject to Samajwadi Party forming the government in Uttar Pradesh again.

In an interview with HuffPost India, Shivpal also delved into his future plans, now that he is not the party president anymore. Here are the key takeaways from his interview:

Also Read: ‘Mulayam ke Log’: What Next for Shivpal Yadav and His Loyalists?

• Last month, Shivpal had asserted that he will float a new party after the Uttar Pradesh elections get over. His dreams were probably crushed when party supremo and his brother Mulayam Singh Yadav rubbished that statement. Talking about the same, Shivpal said: “We will first strengthen our organisation, then consult our senior leaders, talk to Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and then whatever faith the people show in us, we will accept.”
  
• Shivpal is not the party state president anymore. He is not even a minister in the current government. Does that anger him? “Not at all,” he told HuffPost India. “I never cared for positions. Be it Lohia or Gandhi, they never held any posts. The greatest thing in politics is to be with the people,” he said.
  
• On questioned about his future plans, Shivpal said: “I will get out after 19 February and go wherever needed. I will do whatever I am asked,” he said.

The Samajwadi Party conflict has been grabbing headlines for months now. Shivpal’s statements in the interview are indicative of his acceptance for Akhilesh Yadav’s leadership again, after the Uttar Pradesh chief minister ousted him from the post of the party president on 1 January.