Lucknow, Nov. 5: The rift within Mulayam Singh Yadav's family today overshadowed the Samajwadi Party's silver jubilee celebrations, held to showcase unity within the organisation and the so-called Janata parivar at large.
Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad, one of the key speakers at the rally, waded into the dispute by supporting chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's claim to retain his post after the Assembly elections early next year.
This seemed enough to frustrate Akhilesh's principal rival and uncle Shivpal, the state Samajwadi president, who launched into an emotional rant about his "sacrifices" for the party.
"Akhilesh will take over as chief minister for the second time after the elections," Lalu Prasad, whose daughter is married to one of Mulayam's great-nephews, told the rally at the Janeshwar Mishra Park here.
This is something even Mulayam avoids saying publicly because Shivpal, his younger brother, is said to be nursing ambitions for the chief minister's chair although he has publicly distanced himself from any such goal.
"The MLAs will choose their leader," Mulayam, the Samajwadi national president, had said last week when asked whether he wanted his son to become chief minister again.
While concluding his speech, Lalu Prasad beckoned to Akhilesh to come near him, held his hand and said: "The entire family is united. You must respect your elders in the family."
Shivpal, recently sacked from Akhilesh's ministry, spoke after Lalu Prasad and Janata Dal United MP Sharad Yadav.
"I have helped Akhilesh's government a lot in the past four-odd years. He can sack me as many times as he likes. I want to tell him and other party members that I'm capable of any sacrifice for the party," Shivpal said.
"I don't want to become chief minister. I will never try to become chief minister."
Without any explanation, he then added: "You can keep insulting me."
Earlier, Akhilesh had appeared to be indirectly addressing Shivpal, who has suspended several Samajwadi youth wing leaders loyal to the chief minister, when he said: "Don't test (the commitment of) the youths; test me if you doubt me."
Akhilesh also said: "(Socialist ideologue) Ram Manohar Lohia used to say that people would take him seriously only after his death. I want to say that some people will hear me only after completely damaging the Samajwadi Party."
At one point, Shivpal shoved away Javed Abdi, a Samajwadi politician, when he grabbed the microphone and started chanting slogans in support of Akhilesh. Abdi, who was not a scheduled speaker, was then forced to leave the dais.
The latest round of the family strife had begun when Akhilesh sacked Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, a confidant of his stepmother Sadhana Gupta who is believed to be plotting against him, as mining minister on September 12. The next day, Mulayam replaced Akhilesh with Shivpal as state party president.
An angry Akhilesh abruptly took away Shivpal's ministerial portfolios of public works, irrigation and revenue the same evening. The uncle retaliated by suspending the youth leaders.
Akhilesh handed back the irrigation and revenue ministries to Shivpal after a few days but later sacked him from the ministry on October 23.
Prajapati had earlier been re-inducted as transport minister on September 26, and Mulayam had appointed him the convener for today's event.
Among the speakers today were former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda of the Janata Dal Secular, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, Sharad Yadav and Lalu Prasad - all invitees from Janata splinter groups.
They urged Mulayam to take the initiative to unite non-BJP parties for the Uttar Pradesh polls next year and the 2019 parliamentary elections.
Mulayam said that India's politicians should all think of "fighting those who have been targeting the Muslim community".
