Despite Truce Within Samajwadi Party, Shivpal Yadav Sacks Akhilesh’s Aides

Samajwadi Party’s Uttar Pradesh chief Shivpal Yadav expelled on Monday three legislators and four other leaders, all of them known as chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s loyalists.

The move is neither surprising nor the last as the truce fashioned by Mulayam in the family dispute in any case aimed at appeasing Shivpal to ensure the continuation of Akhilesh as chief minister come what may.

It was alleged that they had illegally accumulated assets worth over Rs.100 crores between 1999 and 2005 during Mulayam Singh’s tenure as chief minister (2003-07). “I was initiated into politics by the CM and I will continue to work for the party as directed by my leader”. “We only apprised Netaji of our views in favour of Akhilesh”, he said.

Shivpal further added that he supports Akhilesh’s position as Chief Minister, even if the ruling party returns after 2017 UP Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, Shivpal, while talking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme, gave a tough message to party cadres saying, “Strict action will be taken against all those who indulge in indiscipline”. “There is clear instruction to all party office workers and functionaries that there will be no compromise on indiscipline and factionalism”, remarked Shivpal while speaking to ToI at his residence on Monday evening.

While these two were expelled on Sunday for their alleged involvement in land-grabbing and other activities, it was learnt that their role in orchestrating protests against Shivpal and Mulayam in the recent party dispute was the real reason for the action taken by Shivpal.

As per the compromise, Akhilesh restored all but one key portfolios of Shivpal and accepted him as state unit president, a post from which he himself had been removed.

Mr Bhadauria and Mr Sajan were sacked in December past year on grounds of indiscipline but were taken back in the party after intervention of Akhilesh.

In the last decade, the central agency has changed its stand in the case several times and in 2009, then former Attorney General Goolam Vahanvati told the court that no inquiry was necessary against the Yadav family under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.