Akhilesh Yadav , Ram Gopal Back In Party Less Than 24 Hours
LUCKNOW : In a dramatic turn of events, the Samajwadi Party on Saturday revoked the expulsion of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav, a day after they were ousted from the party for six years over anti-party activities. The decision was announced after the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister met Mulayam Singh this afternoon at the party chief’s residence.
The meeting was organised by senior Samajwadi Party leader and cabinet minister Azam Khan. Akhilesh Yadav’s close aide Ram Gopal Yadav, who was expelled alongside the chief minister yesterday, has been taken back as well.
“As per the directions of Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav), the expulsion of Akhilesh Yadav and Ram Gopal Yadav has been revoked with immediate effect,” Shivpal tweets. He adds that the SP stood united to defeat communal forces in the state and form a government with a full majority again.
“I have just met Netaji (Mulayam Singh) and Akhilesh and Azam were also there. Netaji has told me to revoke Akhilesh’s expulsion. Now we will all fight UP polls united and will form the government with majority. Now all misunderstandings are over and we will discuss all the things again and take decisions. We will discuss on ticket distribution,” Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle and Mulayam Singh’s brother Shivpal Yadav said.
Sources say, in the meeting with Mulayam Singh, Azam Khan had asked for the revocation of Akhilesh Yadav’s expulsion. Akhilesh Yadav camp also wants Amar Singh out of Samajwadi Party, sources added.
Amar Singh, who is currently in London, said “Netaji has done the right thing and till I am alive this party will not fall apart… I am not the one for breaking the party but I’m here to unite the party.”
This morning, Akhilesh Yadav met many lawmakers and other leaders of the party at his 5 Kalidas Marg residence cum office in Lucknow. The Akhilesh camp claimed that over 190 lawmakers came to meet the chief minister. Mulayam Singh Yadav had also called a meeting this morning at the Samajwadi Party office – about a kilometre away – of all the candidates that he has named for the UP assembly elections, which will be announced any day now.
Mulayam Singh’s list of candidates includes many sitting MLAs. But only about 20 legislators showed up for the meeting, along with about 60 other candidates. Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, who had earlier today spoken to both Mulayam Singh and Akhilesh Yadav to facilitate a patch-up, said, “I am very happy to know that the matter is sorted now. It’s my responsibility to give right suggestion as he is my family member.”
On Friday evening Mulayam Singh Yadav had expelled Akhilesh from the party for six years, for refusing to accept the candidates he had chosen for the UP elections. Mulayam Singh said he had no choice and wanted to “save the party”.
Friday’s fast-paced and dramatic events came after months of a bitter tussle for control in the party between Akhilesh Yadav, 44, and his uncle Shivpal Yadav, who is Mulayam Singh’s younger brother. Mulayam Singh has consistently sided with Shivpal, who replaced Akhilesh as the party’s UP chief some months ago.
Earlier this week, Mulayam Singh announced a list of candidates for the UP elections, excluding several of Akhilesh Yadav’s key aides. Candidates recommended by Shivpal Yadav were favoured, including some with criminal backgrounds who were fiercely opposed by the chief minister.
An upset Akhilesh first tried to reason with his father and then released a separate list of candidates. It was when his staunch supporter and Mulayam’ cousin Ram Gopal called Sunday’s meeting without the party chief’s consent that both Akhilesh and Ram Gopal were expelled.
Ramgopal Yadav denies cancelling the national executive programme, scheduled for tomorrow. “The schedule of the programme was decided quite earlier. Expulsion took place just yesterday,” says Ramgopal. Notably, just almost an hour back, Shivpal Yadav had announced that Ramgopal has cancelled his programme.
Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav will sit together to make a new list of candidates, says Shivpal Yadav. He adds that Ramgopal has cancelled his national executive programme.After meeting Mulayam Singh Yadav at 5 Vikramaditya Marg , Akhilesh Yadav tells reporters that he will keep his point at the Samajwadi Party’s national convention tomorrow.
