After a long-drawn power and ego tussle, things appeared to have settled down in the ruling Yadav family camp in Uttar Pradesh. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, forced to do a u-turn on Saturday, returned key portfolios that his uncle Shivpal Yadav had been stripped of, while also entrusting him with additional ministries.
On Saturday evening, Governor Ram Naik sanctioned the re-shuffle in cabinet and the allocation of new portfolios to Mr. Shivpal Yadav.
He also said a date would be fixed soon for the swearing in Gayatri Prasad Prajapati, who has returned as Mining Minister.
The Chief Minister also publicly accepted his uncle’s authority as the State party president, despite protests by his supporters who gathered at the party office here demanding his reinstatement as the state president.
Defiant protests
As protests continued at the party office and on the streets, party supremo Mulayam Singh addressed a closed door meeting of party workers.
Looking taken aback at the defiance, Mr Singh urged them to stop shouting slogans. "I built this party with my sweat and blood...will not allow this,” the supremo told the workers many of whom carried placards demanding the return of Akhilesh as State party chief.
Mr Singh once again tried to downplay the rift in the party and told the gathering there were no issues between Mr Shivpal Yadav and Mr Akhilesh Yadav.
The Chief Minister, however, retained the Public Works Department, one of the most important and lucrative ministries, held by Mr. Shivpal Yadav till earlier this week.
Though no formal notifications were made, Mr. Akhilesh Yadav is expected greater say in candidate selection as the party’s State parliamentary board president.
Mr. Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday wrote to Governor Ram Naik to restore key departments to his uncle, who would now control of 13 departments, including those of irrigation, flood control, revenue, co-operative, disaster and rehabilitation and public service management, minor irrigation and medical education.
Mr. Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday told his supporters who were demanding his return as State party chief that he had accepted his father's decision restoring Mr. Shivpal Yadav as State party president, which he believed would be in the best interest of the party.
Earlier in the day, many youth leaders wrote to Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh , while a few threatened to resign from their posts, taking to Facebook to express their discontent. members of various youth brigades of the party converging at the party office, raising slogans demanding his re-installation as party State president. Many openly expressed they did not wish to work with Shivpal and only Akhilesh could guide them.
In a bid to calm them, Mr. Akhilesh Yadav then welcomed the party workers to his residence and tried to reason with them. “We are united. There is no rift in the party,” he told his supporters, adding that politics was “serious business” for him and not a game.
