Mulayam defends Amar, Shivpal; SP meet ends in acrimony

Acrimonious scenes were on Monday witnessed at the meeting of the Samajwadi Party where Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Chief Mnister Akhilesh Yadav exchanged heated words, with the party supremo making clear his support for Amar Singh, describing him as his "brother" and Shivpal Yadav as "mass leader".

However, Mulayam made it clear that Akhilesh Yadav will remain in the party.

The SP supremo said the party was facing a difficult situation and party members should not fight with each other but his words had little effect as chaos broke out at the venue and heated words were exchanged on the dais leading to an abrupt end of the meeting.

The crisis in the ruling party seems to have worsened with Mulayam and his son Akhilesh shouting at each other at the meeting.

Fresh clashes broke out outside the venue with supporters of rival sides exchanging blows, giving police a tough time.

At a meeting of party legislators, MPs and ministers, which ended abruptly, Mulayam said, "I can't tolerate anything against Amar and Shivpal. Amar saved me from going to jail".

Mulayam said mere donning of red cap (colour of SP's cap) does not make one Samajwadi.

Admonishing Akhilesh, the party supremo said he had been abusing Amar Singh.

"Amar has helped me a lot. If Amar was not there I would have been in jail, he is like my brother," Mulayam said, describing the Rajya Sabha member as his brother.

"Some ministers are just sycophants," he added.

"I cannot forget the work done by Shivpal Yadav," he said while describing Shivpal as a mass leader.

"We are facing difficult situation, we should remove our weakness and not fight with each other," Mulayam said.

Mulayam said he had to struggle hard to give his Samajwadi Party a shape. He said he followed the ideals of Ram Manohar Lohia and fought for the poor and the farmers.

He said he was sad over the current developments in the party "though I kept myself aloof from what was happening".

Pulling up Akhilesh, Mulayam said, "What is your capability? Can you win elections?"

Though the feud in the Mulayam clan escalated, the SP chief maintained the ties were cordial in the family.

He said some leaders indulged in sycophancy and "I do not like such sycophants".

Referring to those criticising the party, he said those who cannot tolerate criticism, cannot become leaders.

"If criticism is right, there is scope for improvement," he said, adding, "Those who cannot think big, cannot become leaders."

Mulayam said he had not become weak and asserted that Samajwadi Party would not break apart.

"I have ensured that youths get due respect and importance. One should not think youths are not with me," he said.

He said a government or a party does not succeed with the help of slogan-shouting and sycophancy. "I will drive out those shouting slogans," he warned.

He also defended merger of QED with SP and described Ansari's family as "respectable".

Today is the birthday of Akhilesh, who touched the feet of his father and uncle Shivpal to seek their blessings.