With the Samajwadi Party president, Mulayam Singh on Saturday breaking his silence on former national general secretary, Amar Singh and advising the latter to stop giving statements, the war of words within the party seems to be getting louder.
Mr. Mulayam Singh, who was in Hardoi, about 110 kilometres from Lucknow, to attend the wedding of a party leader on Saturday said that Mr. Amar Singh should take care of his health and desist from making statements. The Samajwadi chief told reporters at the wedding venue that though Mr. Amar Singh is not an office-bearer, he is still in the party. When quizzed about the secrets buried in Amar Singh’s heart, the SP president replied that Mr. Singh should know better.
Mr. Mulayam Singh’s reaction, though muted, was his first since the Amar Singh episode hit the party, followed by his resignation from party posts on January 6 and the acceptance of his resignation on January 17. Early this week, Mr. Mulayam Singh nominated several senior office-bearers, including Brij Bhushan Tiwari and Mohan Singh as party vice president and general secretary in place of Janeshwar Mishra and Amar Singh. These nominations, as those of others, have signalled Mr. Mulayam Singh’s return to the Samajwadi grassroots after the exit of Mr. Amar Singh.
Sources in the Samajwadi Party said that till now known Amar Singh-baiters like Ram Gopal Yadav and Mohan Singh had been allowed to do the talking, which were seen as the views expressed by the party leadership. It was for the first time on Saturday that Mr. Mulayam Singh had said something about the former general secretary, these sources said.
About the probable reason for Mr. Mulayam Singh’s reaction to Mr. Amar Singh’s comments, sources said that the SP president was angered by the party dissident’s views, in a newspaper interview published on Friday, on the alleged mafia and criminal angle in the party.
Furthermore, Mr. Amar Singh’s reported hint about a CD had not gone down well with Mr. Mulayam Singh, sources said. “These are pointers to the Mulayam-Amar relationship having reached a point of no return, although in politics nothing can be ruled out till the last moment”, said a Samajwadi insider.
Not to be outdone, Mr. Amar Singh indicated that he will not quit his Rajya Sabha seat. The new national general secretary and the man who replaced him in the party hierarchy, Mohan Singh had said recently that Mr. Singh should resign from the membership of the Rajya Sabha. Mr. Amar Singh is reported to have said in Ghazipur, in eastern Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday that he had donated his kidneys to Mr. Mulayam Singh.
