Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav announced, amid speculation, that he would not be launching a new party as of now.
“Akhilesh is my son, my blessings are with him, but I do not endorse his decisions,” he told the media. “He has betrayed me,” he added.
Soon after Mulayam’s announcement, Akhilesh took to Twitter, but only to say “Netaji zindabad”:
The hint of a split in the SP came on 24 September, 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.
Earlier reports had said the two brothers pondered over formation of a secular front under the banner of Lok Dal, hinting fresh differences in the party, already weakened 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.Close confidante of Shivpal Yadav
Realignment of Forces
The posters at the SP convention on 24 September did not have pictures of Mulayam and Shivpal, giving ample hints about their place in the party.
The convention saw a realignment of forces within the SP as senior leader Azam Khan attended the event and lashed out at the “people who have betrayed the party”, in an apparent reference to Shivpal, his one-time friend and confidant.
Another surprise presence was that of MP Beni Prasad Varma, whose inclusion in the party last year was said to have triggered the battle within the family.
To top it all, Akhilesh, in his address, cautioned his supporters against "fake samajwadis".
As in the past, Akhilesh, however, struck an emotional note when he said:
Netaji (Mulayam) is my father and this party (SP) belongs to him. His blessings are with us and we will carry forward his legacy. My father has always been with us and will remain with us.
Mulayam a ‘True Samajwadi’
In Election Commission records, Lok Dal is a registered, unrecognised party that was formed by veteran socialist leader Charan Singh back in 1980 and Mulayam was its founder- member.
Mulayam, who was opposed to the SP-Congress alliance during the Assembly elections, was offered Lok Dal symbol and president's post by Sunil Singh.
"A number of Shivpal loyalists had contested on Lok Dal ticket during the Assembly polls and the party used Mulayam's photographs for campaigns, terming him a true samajwadi," the Lok Dal president said.
The Yadav family feud came to the fore about a year ago and led to Akhilesh snatching the mantle of the SP national president from his father at an emergency national convention of the party on 1 January.
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