 "There may be problems in govt, but not in family: Akhilesh Yadav")
A day after sacking his chief secretary and stripping his uncle Shivpal Yadav of key ministerial portfolios, Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister (CM) Akhilesh Yadav and his administration on Wednesday announced decisions that seemed aimed at consolidating his image as a development icon, but also reached out to farmers of the state.
With nearly six months to go before the Assembly polls in UP, Akhilesh on Wednesday announced the start of a vikas, or development, rath yatra on October 3 – the official launch of his election campaign. On October 4, Akhilesh will lay the foundation laying ceremony of Kanpur Metro project.
With actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui as its brand ambassador, the UP CM also announced an insurance scheme for farmers of the state, a key support base of the Samajwadi Party (SP).
As for the seemingly fratricidal war within the Yadav family and his decision to take away ministerial portfolios of his uncle, Akhilesh said: “If I have taken any decision, it was in consultation with netaji (his father and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav). But, at times, one has to apply his own mind and I, too, took some decisions on my own.”
SP’s rivals like the Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders dismissed Akhilesh’s move to divest his uncle of portfolios as a charade. While it is difficult to ascertain if the feud between Akhilesh and his uncle Shivpal is real, sources in rival parties said it was a clever move on the part of SP to distance Akhilesh and his government from the shadow of his uncle and the party and go into the elections with his clean image.
On the sidelines of an event at his official residence in Lucknow, Akhilesh said: “There may be problems in the government, but not in the family.” His uncle Shivpal has been appointed the party chief, an important post since elections are near.
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In Saifai, Shivpal had over a 1,000 supporters outside his residence after rumours that he was set to quit as a minister. “It is the discretion of CM to give or take portfolios and remove officers and keep his advisors. I will follow netaji’s directions and will fulfil responsibilities given by him,” Shivpal said. He said he would talk Mulayam before deciding his future course of action.
Akhilesh and Shivpal have had their differences in the past, most recently when the uncle announced that gangster Mukhtar Ansari’s Quami Ekta Dal will merge into the SP but Akhilesh resisted the move. On Tuesday, the CM sacked his Chief Secretary Deepak Singhal, who is considered close to Shivpal.
Then, party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav took away the position of the state unit chief from Akhilesh and appointed Shivpal in his place. Within hours, Akhilesh took away Shivpal’s portfolios of public works department, irrigation and cooperatives.
Akhilesh, who has been upset at Amar Singh having been made a Rajya Sabha member, said if “outsiders” interfere, then how would the party and government function. Amar Singh had recently hosted a dinner that Singhal had attended.
“Those whom I have removed... people are well aware of their image,” he said, in a reference to sacked Mining Minister Gayatri Prajapati, Panchayati Raj Minister Raj Kishore Singh and Singhal. The outgoing chief secretary could last only two months in the job. Akhilesh and Shivpal also had differences about Singhal succeeding former Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan.
Mulayam has, of late, been critical of corruption and land grabbing by some ministers. BJP chief Amit Shah has been targeting the SP government for protecting land grabbers, for its corruption and for being run by two-and-a-half chief ministers – Mulayam, Shivpal and Akhilesh.