Friendship Day? Mulayam Appears With Amar Singh
LUCKNOW: Amar Singh, who was expelled from the Samajwadi Party four years ago, shared the stage with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav at an event in Lucknow today, signaling a rapprochement after a bitter political feud. Mr Yadav’s son, Akhilesh, who is Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, was also present. But a number of senior MPs from the party, including Mulayam’s brother Ram Gopal Yadav, pointedly stayed away.
Mr Singh, 58, is a member of the Rajya Sabha. After years of being a close aide of Mulayam Singh, he was sacked from the Samajwadi Party in February 2010 for “anti-party activities” along with actor-politician Jaya Prada.Today, Mr Yadav had invited Amar Singh for the inauguration of a Lucknow park dedicated to socialist leader Janeshwar Mishra.
“This is an apolitical programme. I am attending it on Mulayam Singh’s invitation. I have worked with Janeshwarji and follow his ideology,” Mr Singh said.Mr Singh was never popular among the other SP leaders, who have by staying away from today’s function signaled that they will fight any attempt by him to stage a comeback. Among those who skipped was senior UP minister Azam Khan, a known rival of Amar Singh.
After his expulsion from the SP, Mr Singh founded his own political party which did not win a single seat in the 2012 state election in Uttar Pradesh. Ahead of this year’s national election, he joined the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which is headed by former union minister Ajit Singh. He contested the Lok Sabha elections but lost. Amar Singh, who was expelled from the Samajwadi Party four years ago, shared the stage with party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav at an event in Lucknow today, signaling a rapprochement after a bitter political feud.
Mr Yadav’s son, Akhilesh, who is Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, was also present. But a number of senior MPs from the party, including Mulayam’s brother Ram Gopal Yadav, pointedly stayed away.Mr Singh, 58, is a member of the Rajya Sabha. After years of being a close aide of Mulayam Singh, he was sacked from the Samajwadi Party in February 2010 for “anti-party activities” along with actor-politician Jaya Prada.
Today, Mr Yadav had invited Amar Singh for the inauguration of a Lucknow park dedicated to socialist leader Janeshwar Mishra.”This is an apolitical programme. I am attending it on Mulayam Singh’s invitation. I have worked with Janeshwarji and follow his ideology,” Mr Singh said.Mr Singh was never popular among the other SP leaders, who have by staying away from today’s function signaled that they will fight any attempt by him to stage a comeback. Among those who skipped was senior UP minister Azam Khan, a known rival of Amar Singh.
After his expulsion from the SP, Mr Singh founded his own political party which did not win a single seat in the 2012 state election in Uttar Pradesh. Ahead of this year’s national election, he joined the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), which is headed by former union minister Ajit Singh. He contested the Lok Sabha elections but lost.
