The name of Amar Singh, the old friend of SP supremo Mulayam Singh, has come into focus amid the ongoing tug of war between Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle, State Cabinet Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav.
The theory of Mr. Amar Singh’s interference got credence on Wednesday after the CM himself triggered speculation with a veiled reference to the leader.
While downplaying the intensity of the ongoing tussle in the family, Mr. Yadav said: “There is no fight in the family. How will the party function if outsiders keep interfering?”
Observers argue the term “outsiders” could be a reference to Mr. Amar Singh, who does not enjoy a good rapport with Mr. Yadav or even his uncle Ramgopal Yadav. The CM was even opposed to the idea of his return to the party after a gap of many years. Last month, Mr. Singh had threatened to quit the party, alleging that he was being insulted, kept on ‘mute’ and sidelined following his return to the fold after six years.
Mr. Amar Singh, however, denied the idea that he was the cause behind the rift in the government. “Akhilesh Yadav is like a son to me and he did not take my name as an outsider,” the Rajya Sabha MP told reporters. “No matter how many times you say Akhilesh had said this, I am not ready to accept it. Until today he has never personally spoken out against me.”
While the general perception is that the sacking of Chief Secretary Deepak Singhal was the breaking point in the battle between Akhilesh and Shivpal, which has been going on since the former’s coronation in 2012, many observers say the trigger could have come on Monday with the sacking of controversial Mining Minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, who has the patronage of Mr. Mulayam Singh.
Coming three days after the Allahabad High Court upheld its order of a CBI probe into illegal mining in U.P., Mr. Prajapati’s removal was viewed as Mr. Yadav’s way of shielding his ‘clean image’ before the polls.
However, Surendra Rajput, a political observer associated with the Congress, senses a deeper family tussle. He claims Mr. Prajapati’s sacking, taken without the SP chief’s approval, had annoyed Mr. Mulayam Singh for different reasons, too.
‘Original problem’“The original problem is between Sadhna Gupta [Mulayam’s second wife] and Akhilesh Yadav. By removing Prajapati, Akhilesh annoys Mulayam Singh as Prateek Yadav’s [Akhilesh’s step-brother] has stakes in the mining business. Why else would Mulayam meet a sacked Minister twice in three days?” Mr. Rajput asked. Ms. Gupta is said to enjoy a rapport with Mr. Shivpal but not Mr. Akhilesh.
A day after the sacking of the two Ministers, the CM unceremoniously sacked Mr. Deepak Singhal. Considered part of Mr. Shivpal’s lobby — he was formerly principal secretary (irrigation) — Mr. Singhal seems to have irked the CM by attending a bash held in Delhi by Mr. Amar Singh, an event the CM himself preferred to give a miss.
Hours after the sacking, Mr. Amar Singh reportedly met Mr. Mulayam Singh in Delhi, and Akhilesh Yadav was stripped of the post of State president. He was replaced by his uncle. In apparent retaliation, Mr. Akhilesh stripped Mr. Shivpal of his key ministerial berths, including PWD department.
Mr. Amar Singh, however, said he met the SP supremo as he shares “a brotherly relation with him.”
