Samajwadi Party's foot soldiers confused as generals fight internal war

MEERUT: The focus may be on Mulayam Singh, Akhilesh, Ram Gopal and Shivpal, but Samajwadi Party workers are a distraught and confused lot, caught between their regard for Mulayam and affection for Akhilesh. Also, many don’t know which MLAs to campaign for as a bunch of Akhilesh loyalists have been shown the door.
Kuldeep Ujjwal, SP candidate from Baghpat, said, “At a time when the entire focus should be on developing a foolproof strategy to retain power in UP, the ongoing feud could prove to be very costly and the election will be reduced to a direct fight between BJP and BSP.”
Interestingly, most of the leaders and party workers are of the opinion that Akhilesh Yadav should be given the reins of the party and the young blood permitted to steer the state, while the old guard continues to guide them.However, fearing retribution from the highest level of the party, workers feel silence is the best strategy at this time.
Despondency, however, within the party cadre is quite evident in the fact that it is disillusioned and in a fix. “The battle (UP elections) is about to begin and we do not even know who to support as candidates keep changing. I hope Netaji weaves some magic and brings everything to normal, otherwise we are doomed,” said a Bulandshahr-based party worker who did not wish to be named.
When TOI tried to contact Sunita Chauhan, an SP candidate whose ticket was cancelled recently from Khurja in Bulandshahr, she refused to be quoted on the issue.
A party leader in Bijnor said, “Right now Akhilesh is heading the government, so ministers are tight-lipped as a single statement from their end could lead to them getting eviction orders. At the same time, candidates could lose their tickets if they talk in favour of the CM, as Shivpal is the party president.”
However, Atul Pradhan, an Akhilesh loyalist whose ticket from Sardhana assembly constituency was recently cancelled after Shivpal became party president, agreed to speak to TOI and said, “This is a highly unfortunate situation but I am very clear about my stand. I will follow the CM whatever he does. If he asks me to fight the election, I will. If he tells me to back out, I will follow his instructions. I hope the party doesn’t break and sooner rather than later the senior leaders patch up.”
Office bearers of the party at grassroots level have pinned their hopes on Mulayam now and are downplaying the Monday showdown. Said the district president of SP at Meerut, Jaiveer Singh, “We have full trust in Mulayamji and misunderstandings within a family should not be blown out of proportion. Within a day or two everything will come back on track. We have been united and we will stay united.”