The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday appointed the former Lok Sabha member, Mohan Singh, as its national general secretary in place of Amar Singh. Mr. Amar Singh recently quit all party posts citing health reasons, but also admitted to differences with party chief Mulayam Singh’s kin.
Barely a few hours after Mr. Mulayam Singh greeted Mr. Amar Singh on his 54th birthday on Wednesday, the party announced the nomination of Mr. Mohan Singh as a member of the Parliamentary Board and as its national spokesperson. Both the posts were earlier held by Mr. Amar Singh.
Addressing the media, SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav said the party also appointed the former MP, Vishambhar Prasad Nishad, and the former Minister, Ramasare Kushwaha, as general secretaries. Their appointments were made against the vacancies created by the resignation of actor Sanjay Dutt and Obedula Azmi. Both quit in support of Mr. Amar Singh, who, they said, was treated badly by the party.
Senior SP leader and Rajya Sabha member Brijbhushan Tiwari has been made vice-president. The post fell vacant after the demise of the senior Rajya Sabha member Janeshwar Mishra last week.
Kerala leader Joe Antony has been included in the party’s Parliamentary Board.
According to well-placed sources, Mr. Amar Singh’s replacement in the party is seen as a signal that he has indeed become “history” as Mr. Mulayam Singh declared earlier this month after accepting his resignation. Incidentally, all the new appointees had openly criticised Mr. Amar Singh and are considered Mr. Mulayam Singh loyalists.
The rift between Mr. Amar Singh and Mr. Mulayam Singh’s family members holding various party posts came out into the open recently with a public spat between Mr. Amar Singh and Mr. Ram Gopal Yadav. However, when reminded about Mr. Amar Singh’s birthday, Mr. Yadav wished him “a happy birthday.”
Speaking to journalists at his residence, Mr. Amar Singh said, “Now that I have resigned, it is none of my business [to think about] what Mr. Mulayam Singh and his family members do. My resignation was not political but subsequent events made it so. I have taken a conscious decision to relax and chill. If this is rebellion so be it.”
He said he would not celebrate his birthday on account of the death of Janeshwar Mishra. However, he would have a quiet get-together with “family members,” Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Ambani, and their families, who were all present in his house when he spoke to the media.
Asked about his detractors being given plum posts in the party, he said: “I don’t consider anybody my detractor. It is my political destiny that I am my own detractor. I prefer to be a detractor in the SP and be destroyed in the SP.”
On the other hand, Mr. Mohan Singh said since Mr. Amar Singh had quit from all party posts he was detached from the party. He should now quit his Rajya Sabha membership. “The Rajya Sabha membership is given by the party and, therefore, he should resign from the Rajya Sabha also.”
