Supporters of the UP Chief Minister today put up a nameplate at Samajwadi Party headquarters that read "Akhilesh Yadav, Party President", moments after Mulayam Singh Yadav stunned partymen by declaring he would fight against his son if he did not shed his "negative approach" towards Muslims.
Hardly had the 77-year-old SP patriarch left the party headquarters in Lucknow after addressing workers, the brand new nameplate appeared strategically positioned directly under Maulayam's nameplate which mentions him as "Party President".
The full-blown crisis in the ruling party recently reached a flash point when Akhilesh was anointed SP chief in place of his father at the party's national convention, which was dubbed as "illegal and unconstitutional" by Mulayam.
The brand new nameplate of Akhilesh appeared to be an angry retort to Mulayam's comment that he was ready to cross swords with him.
The father-son duo had met last week but key differences mainly on the post of party president persisted.
Akhilesh has been insisting on keeping the top post for three months apprehending that Mulayam's close confidants -- his younger brother Shivpal Yadav and Amar Singh -- will queer SP's electoral pitch.
The chief minister accuses the two of instigating his father against him.
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