People accepted Akhilesh as CM because he’s my son, says Mulayam
LUCKNOW : Even as the feud in Uttar Pradesh’s first family ended, with Chief Minister restoring all but one portfolios of Shivpal Yadav on Saturday night and promising to support him as SP’s state unit president, Mulayam Singh Yadav is believed to have questioned Akhilesh Yadav’s contribution towards the political success of the party.
Mulayam reportedly said that Shivpal was opposed to Akhilesh being made CM after the 2012 polls and had suggested that he should be elevated to the position only after 2014 General Elections elections, as per a media report.
But later everybody agreed and Akhilesh became the UP CM.”What happened despite his being the CM? Only five members from the family won. If I had listened to Shivpal, we would have won 30-35 seats and I would have been the PM.
If Akhilesh is unhappy with Shivpal because of this (appointment of the latter as theSP state chief+ ), he should remember that people have accepted him as CM because he is my son. He never had any individual standing in politics,” Mulayam supposedly told SP workers at the party headquarters, as quoted by The Times of India.
The SP chief added that Akhilesh won the 2012 elections because of the promising party manifesto drafted by him along with Shivpal and cousin Ram Gopal Yadav.The Daily further quoted Mulayam as saying, “Almost all the schemes he talks about were launched by me, be it Kanya Vidya Dhan, free power to farmers for irrigation, or free medicine to poor. Today, Akhilesh holds the important post of CM and he should know how to take everybody along.”
Meanwhile, as per the compromise worked out by Mulayam, Akhilesh’s demand of having a say in ticket distribution was met as he would be made the head of the state parliamentary board, which makes final decisions on deciding the candidates, party sources had said, as per pti.
On the other hand, Akhilesh restored Shivpal’s key portfolios including Irrigation and Cooperative which were taken away. Shivpal was also given additional portfolios of Minor Irrigation and Medical Education.
However, Public Works Department, which was among the portfolios taken away from Shivpal, was kept by the CM with himself. The CM also sought time from the Raj Bhawan for oath of sacked minister Gayatri Prajapati.
Akhilesh had stripped Shivpal of the portfolios and sacked Prajapati after he was replaced by his uncle as the party’s state unit head, triggering a full blown war in the family.Subsequently, Shivpal had tendered his resignation from the Cabinet as well as party post. (With Agency inputs)
