Mulayam At Crossroads; SP, On The Verge Of Split

Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party appeared headed for a split after Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday sacked his uncle Shivpal Yadav and three other ministers from the cabinet.

The decision came after a meeting of Akhilesh Yadav with party legislators and looked like a tit-for-tat for the earlier dismissal of Akhilesh supporters from the party by his uncle.

Besides Shivpal Yadav, recently named the state chief of the Samajwadi Party, the other ministers ousted from the cabinet are Narad Rai, Om Prakash and Shadab Fatima.

Akhilesh Yadav openly blamed party MP and Mulayam Singh loyalist Amar Singh as the villain behind the unprecedented rift in the Samajwadi Party but said he had the highest regards for his father.

The Akhilesh Yadav camp also announced the expulsion of Jaya Prada, an actress-turned-politician considered close to Amar Singh, from the Uttar Pradesh Film Development Council.

Legislators who attended the meeting with the Chief Minister said Akhilesh Yadav made it clear that anyone close to Amar Singh cannot find a place in his government.

What will Mulayam do?

Mulayam Singh knows that he wouldn’t be the leader that he is if not for his brother, Shivpal. It is alleged that Shivpal did all those works for the party which Mulayam couldn’t be seen doing. On the the other hand, he also knows that the victory in the Assembly elections of 2012 came on the back of a campaign led by his son, Akhilesh. Secondly, polls indicate that between his son and his brother, his son seems to enjoy far more popularity as a chief ministerial candidate.

Is Mulayam Singh Yadav facing the most difficult decision of his life?

(With inputs from IANS)