 "Yadav vs Yadav: Mulayam likely to crack whip on Akhilesh, may take charge from him")
In a high drama in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party President Mulayam Singh Yadav is likely to crack the whip on his son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and take the charge from him. There have been a war of words in the first family of Uttar Pradesh with allegations and counter-allegations flying high on conspiring against the party.
Boh Shivpal and Akhilesh are at the Samajwadi party office for the meeting.
Supporters of both the camps — Akhilesh and Shivpal — have gathered outside the party office shouting slogans in favour of their leader. Clashes between supporters of the two groups have been reported.
There has a high police presence outside the office to prevent any untoward incident.
Ahead of the Assembly polls, Samajwadi Party is heading for a split, with Akhilesh and Mulayam engaging in a face-off by sacking each other's loyalists Shivpal Yadav and Ramgopal Yadav.
In an unexpected move, Akhilesh first sacked Shivpal, his uncle and party's state unit chief, along with three other "pro-Amar Singh" ministers from his Cabinet.
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Mulayam, in a tit-for-tat action, expelled Ramgopal, pro-CM cousin and SP's national general secretary, from the party for six years.
The crisis in the Yadav clan unfolded on Sunday morning when Akhilesh held a meeting of party legislators, a day ahead of a mega meeting of party MPs, MLAs, MLCs and ministers called by Mulayam where some more tough decisions were likely to be taken.
Those who attended the meeting claimed that 183 of 229 SP MLAs attended it and there were demands for cracking the whip against supporters of Amar Singh, whose re-induction in the party two months ago had triggered a fight in the family.
Significantly, before Akhilesh announced the sacking of Shivpal and three other ministers, Ramgopal issued a letter written to party workers, expressing support to the Chief Minister and warning those opposing him.