Amar Singh: The man in the middle of Samajwadi Party chaos
Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh. File photo Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh. File photo
As Uttar Pradesh gears up for elections, the ruling Samajwadi Party is battling infighting and staring at an imminent split in the party. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav wielded his authority and appointed himself as the national president of the party, sidelining his father Mulayam Singh Yadav. Amid all the chaos, Amar Singh seems to be the man in the middle of the latest crisis.
The rift between Akhilesh Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav came to the fore after the latter re-inducted Amar Singh into the party fold six years after his expulsion in 2010 to the displeasure of Akhilesh. Differences grew as Akhilesh rallied for his expulsion calling him an outsider who was trying to create a split in the SP. Mulayam, however, sided with his old associate.
WATCH VIDEO | Samajwadi Party Symbol Is My Identity, I have Done Nothing Wrong: Mulayam Singh Yadav
Since then the relation between the father and the son has only become bitter. Also, Mulayam’s preference for Shivpal Yadav over Akhilesh in party affair has left the young CM miffed.
Until Sunday, Mulayam had played the peacemaker, but he was ousted as the party’s national president by Akhilesh at the convention called by him. Mulayam Singh called the convention illegal and announced another convention of his own on January 6.
It seems Akhilesh had become worried over the fact that decisions in SP were alleged to be influenced by Singh. Mulayam Singh values Amar Singh’s counsel.
Amid all this, Amar Singh’s relationship with Akhilesh has been thrown up in the air. At an Idea Exchange interaction with The Indian Express journalists in October last year, Singh opened up on his ties with the UP chief minister.
“My relations with the UP chief minister [Akhilesh Yadav], from my side, are very good and that is because he is Mulayam Singh’s son. If I like Mulayam Singh then I will also feel the same way about his son… I am forced to like and love Akhilesh Yadav. He is free to think or say anything about me, as am I. But, due to my emotional attachment with Mulayam Singh ji, and owing to the fact that [Akhilesh Yadav] is his son, I have held my tongue.”
WATCH VIDEO | Samajwadi Party Crisis: Mulayam Singh Isolated? Scales Tilt In Favour Of Akhilesh Yadav
Akhilesh’s outsider comments also left him largely unaffected due to Mulayam Singh’s apparent support. “A very senior leader of Samajwadi Party has clearly stated that whoever is in the party (dal ke andar) is not an outsider but an insider,” Amar singh had said.
Singh was appointed by Mulayam Singh as the party’s general secretary and tasked him to strengthen the SP before elections. Akhilesh, however, claimed he was acting against the party and the family. Singh was also accused of pulling many strings to orchestrate the turmoil and creating the wedge in the party and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s family.
Over the last few days, the troubled party has seen everything — from expulsion of CM Akhilesh Yadav to his re-inclusion from a coup to take over the reins of the SP and ousting Shivpal Yadav.
Mulayam Singh Yadav will certainly have been taken in by surprise to witness the extent of support Akhilesh drew behind him to turn the tables against his uncle and become the national president of the party.
Singh has kept away from speaking on the issue as he said in the IE interaction that the power of silence is more than that of spoken words.” His refusal to resign from the Rajya Sabha also shows that Akhilesh and Amar Singh duel may prove to be a protracted one.
© The Indian Express Online Media Pvt Ltd