Uttar Pradesh: Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav writes letter supporting CM Akhilesh

Lucknow: In a fresh twist in the ongoing dispute in the ruling Samajwadi Party, general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav on Sunday wrote a one-page letter to party workers saying the future of the SP lay in Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. The letter addressed to “pyare saathiyon” (dear colleagues) said Ram Gopal’s aim was to ensure that a state government was formed in the leadership of his nephew Akhilesh. [caption id=“attachment_2947246” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of Ram Gopal Yadav. CNN-News18[/caption] The Rajya Sabha member who was hitherto considered the think tank of the party has now thrown his lot behind Akhilesh and virtually crossed daggers with his cousins Mulayam Singh Yadav and Shivpal Singh Yadav. In his letter Ram Gopal said that people with Akhilesh were those who have spilled blood for the party and made great sacrifices whereas those who “minted crores and misused power” were on the other side. The national party general secretary said while their thinking was positive, others were of negative mindset. The letter was released around 6.30 in the morning. He is understood to have written from Mumbai. While no names have been taken, the political overtones in the letter suggest that he was alluring to the other side led by his elder brother Mulayam Singh Yadav. The letter comes hours before a crucial meeting of party legislators called by Akhilesh at his official residence, where many feel, he could come out with his vision of the road ahead. Speculation is rife here that the Chief Minister has thrown in the towel and now of the view that only his complete sway over the party decisions could alter the situation and salvage the SP’s image, specially before the forthcoming state assembly polls which are just a few months away. Party veterans led by Rajya Sabha members Reoti Raman Singh, Beni Prasad Verma, Naresh Agarawal and Kironmoy Nanda, who tried to broker truce between the warring father and son on Saturday, will meet the SP chief on Sunday around 11. At the same time, the Chief Minister is going to meet the party legislators at his official 5, Kalidas Marg residence. According to sources, neither Shivpal Singh Yadav, who is an MLA from Jaswantnagar, has been invited for the meeting nor many of the legislators who support him. The sources said there was no official word in this regard. Shivpal, however, said he is going to attend the meeting if called. Shivpal had personally gone to invite Akhilesh for the two-day district presidents’ meet of the party which the Chief Minister chose to skip and instead called some of them to his official residence for a chat. Political observers here feel that the infighting in the party has come to a situation of no return and that days to come would be turbulent, both for the party and the state.