Shivpal Yaadav warns expelled leaders against attending silver jubilee

LUCKNOW: State president of Samajwadi Party Shivpal Yadav warned all expelled leaders that they should stay away from the party’s silver jubilee function to be celebrated on Friday. Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters to brief about preparations for the event, Shivpal Yadav regretted that leaders who had been sacked for anti-party activities and indiscipline, shared the dais with chief minister Akhilesh Yadav while flagging off the Vikas Rath Yatra on Thursday.

Most of the expelled leaders including Sunil Singh Sajan, Anand Bhadauria Rajpal Kashyap, Arvind Yadav, Udaybir Singh and the party’s general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav are known Akhilesh loyalists. In the raging infighting in the family and the party, a number of leaders owing allegiance to the chief minister were expelled from the party by Shivpal Yadav and in retaliation, the chief minister had sacked Shivpal Yadav along with four ministers from the government, furthering the gap between the pro and anti-Akhilesh Yadav camps.

“The expelled leaders could not be spotted and checked in such a huge crowd, but for the next function of the party, the sacked leaders should stay away,” warned Shivpal.

The senior leader of the ruling party said those likely to attend the grand function include former prime minister H D Devegowda, former Union minister Ajit Singh, former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Abhay Chautala, Ram Jethmalani, Santosh Bharatiya, besides the Samajwadi Party national president Mulayam Singh Yadav, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and party functionaries and all public representatives.

In reply to a question, the former minister said silver jubilee function would be historic and will draw the largest of gatherings.