Samajwadi family feud: No new party, says Akhilesh Yadav, continues stand-off with father Mulayam Yadav

At a meeting of party legislators, ministers and MPs called by Mulayam in Lucknow, Akhilesh made an emotional appeal even as he sought to dismiss claims he would break away to form a new party.

“Why should I form a new party?” Akhilesh asked at the meeting, even as he choked up. “Let netaji (Mulayam) install a chief minister he feels is honest. He is my father and my guru,” he added.

Mulayam however refused to budge an inch from his position. He continued backing his brother Shivpal Yadav and party Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, both of whom had come under attack from Akhilesh.

“I can't tolerate anything against Amar and Shivpal. Amar saved me from going to jail. Merely putting on a red cap does not make one Samajwadi,” PTI reported Mulayam as having said. There have also been calls for Mulayam to return as the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

PTI also said Mulayam and Akhilesh couldn’t reach an agreement and ended up shouting at each other. Despite this, Mulayam said his son would not be removed as Chief Minister.

The parleys between the Samajwati Party leadership come after days of intense stand-off between father and son that saw them sack each other’s loyalists from within their respective spheres of influence. After the sacking of party MLC and Akhilesh loyalist Udayveer Singh, Akhilesh had removed Shivpal and other ‘pro-Amar Singh’ ministers from his cabinet. Mulayam had stung back, sacking his cousin and party national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, an Akhilesh loyalist, from the party for six years.

Even as the meeting was underway, supporters of various factions clashed outside the venue, at time coming to blows.

Akhilesh supporters have been agitating in demand for the reinstatement of his loyalists who had been suspended or removed from the party demanded that the UP CM be returned as chief of the party’s state unit.

The family feud had broken out into the open after Mulayam replaced Akhilesh as state unit chief with his brother Shivpal. Akhilesh had retaliated at the perceived slight to his leadership by divesting Shivpal of key portfolios.

Akhilesh has had to deal with several issues within his own party since he took over as Chief Minister in 2012. He has often had to deal with ministers refusing to toe his line and even public criticism from Mulayam.