AMAR BACK AS GEN SECY
NEW DELHI: in a decision that may be seen as yet another snub to son Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday appointed Amar Singh as the National General Secretary of the party, almost six years he was removed from the same post as well as the party. The brief letter in Hindi, signed by Mulayam on his Lok Sabha letterhead, was sent to media from state SP chief Shivpal Yadav's official E-mail address.
In the next episode of the continuing feud within the Samajwadi Party, the party chief on Tuesday appointed Amar Singh as the national general secretary, effectively curbing the authority of party''s secretary-general Ram Gopal Yadav.
In what is a clear snub to his Chief Minister son Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam wrote a letter to Amar Singh informing him that he had been appointed the party''s general secretary, and expressing the hope that he (Amar Singh) will play an important role in the coming election and in strengthening the party.
The hand-written letter, signed by Mulayam himself, appeared to be written in a hurry and was issued to the press early in the evening. The decision is not likely to go down well with either Ram Gopal Yadav or senior minister Mohammad Azam Khan, as both of them have been rather vocal about their opposition to Amar Singh. In their statements last week, both these leaders as well as Akhilesh had more than once commented on the role of an “outsider” in creating a rift within the family members and thus damaging the party.
However, with the decision to give a big responsibility to Amar Singh coming from Mulayam himself, there appears little option before those opposed to it but to accept it if they wish to remain in the party. It was Shivpal Singh Yadav alone who has been supportive of Amar Singh''s comeback to the party despite the general mood within the party. With today''s decision, Mulayam once again appears to be standing solidly with Shivpal despite the reservations of all others including son Akhilesh. Amar Singh was brought back to the party fold and made a Rajya Sabha member a few months ago after spending six years in political wilderness.
While the move has deepened the battle lines drawn between Akhilesh and Shivpal over their respective powers, Akhilesh seems to be losing out on well-wishers and support within the party. According to SP insiders, these developments have also dampened the mood among party workers to cheer for Akhilesh as the face for the 2017 elections. A day ago, the patch-up in the Samajwadi Party first family had witnessed the muchanticipated first purge as Shivpal, in his capacity as state party president, had expelled seven Akhilesh-loyalists from the party. Before that, Shivpal had expelled party legislator Arvind Pratap Yadav, a nephew of party secretarygeneral Ram Gopal Yadav, and a former village head from Etawah, Akhilesh Kumar Yadav from the party on alleged charges of antiparty activities.
According to sources, a reshuffle in the party''s organizational set-up as well in the ministry is also not ruled out in the coming days. The message that is sought to emerge is clear: it is Mulayam who controls the reins of power and Akhilesh has little option but to follow his father''s wishes.