 "Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. (Photo: PTI)")
When Akhilesh Yadav took oath of office on March 15, 2012, he had become the youngest chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP) at the age of 38 years.
Yet, it took him over four and half years to come out of the shadow of his father, veteran socialist leader and ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, and become a leader in his own right, the proverbial ‘angry young man’.
Currently, SP faces its worst crisis even as the party is preparing to celebrate the silver jubilee foundation day in Lucknow on November 5. The conflict nonetheless has presented an opportunity to Akhilesh to assert his authority within and outside the party.
Akhilesh is not conceding ground to the rival camp represented by Mulayam and his younger brother Shivpal Yadav. Neither, Akhilesh has reinstated sacked ministers, including Shivpal, nor softened stand on party General Secretary Amar Singh, whom he blames for the raging feud, nor is he mellowing to detractors for a compromise.
Akhilesh enjoys support of the party’s youth wing leaders, who had been sacked from SP for alleged anti-party activities. Now, the CM is embarking on his election campaign from November 3 and reorganising his core supporters.
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Akhilesh operates from the Lohia Trust office for organisational affairs rather than party’s headquarters in Lucknow, a virtual snub to Mulayam and Shivpal, who spend most of their times there.
Since, Akhilesh enjoys support of the youth cadres, a general clean image and a modern outlook, Team Akhilesh is convinced SP could not do without him in the 2017 polls. This has encouraged Akhilesh, also referred to by his nickname ‘Tipu’, to break out of the hard cocoon shell and tread his own path politically.
The SP saga started unfolding on September 12 with the sacking of cabinet ministers Gayatri Prasad Prajapati and Raj Kishore Singh, which was followed up by the removal of Chief Secretary Deepak Singhal, the following day.
Later, Mulayam replaced Akhilesh with Shivpal as SP’s UP unit president and Akhilesh struck by divesting Shivpal of his key portfolios of PWD and irrigation departments.
On October 23, the truce was broken, when Akhilesh sacked Shivpal from the state cabinet. Soon, Mulayam retaliated by expelling party General Secretary Ramgopal Yadav from party for six years. Ramgopal had been openly attacking Mulayam and supporting Akhilesh.
It was no secret that the old guards in SP were against Akhilesh becoming the CM in 2012 and instead wanted Mulayam to done the mantle.
However, Mulayam insisted on his choice of Akhilesh, forcing the party veterans to fall in line, albeit grumpily.
Mulayam, who had been the UP CM thrice and also served as the union defense minister, wanted an active role in national politics especially during 2014 Lok Sabha polls, which could have fulfilled his cherished dream of becoming the Prime Minister.
Becoming CM in these circumstances, little did Akhilesh know that Mulayam, uncles Shivpal and Ramgopal, and party’s Muslim face Azam Khan would tower over him and he would not get a free hand.
Akhilesh earned the dubious distinction of a leader not in actual control and UP being governed by multiple CMs with ‘Tipu’ being only half-CM. In jest, Akhilesh had even started to joke over this jibe in public.
On multiple occasions, Mulayam chided Akhilesh over his alleged coterie of officials and leaders, who he claimed were earning a bad name to the party and government through their activities.
The dismal showing of SP in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls had further dented the image of Akhilesh, when the party got reduced to 5 seats from 23 seats in 2009 elections. In its aftermath, there were demands from certain quarters for the removal of Akhilesh as CM and Mulayam taking charge.
Surviving through such tumultuous times in his political career, Akhilesh is now virtually calling the shots in government with most party elders supporting him.
Political analyst Sudhir Panwar preferred to term Akhilesh as ‘visionary young man’.
“Akhilesh Yadav is visionary as he can foresee the space of ‘aspirational’ and clean politics in times to come,” he said addin SP needed Akhilesh to be a force to reckon with and that in days to come, all key party leaders, including Mulayam, would start backing him.
“If SP seals an alliance with Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), it stands a good chance to return to power,” he added.
