Lok Sabha Election 2019: Amid family feud, Mulayam Singh Yadav meets brother Shivpal; SP workers in quandary

Lucknow: Amid the festering family feud, Samajwadi Party (SP) founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on Tuesday visited offices of both his party, now headed by his son Akhilesh Yadav and the newly-floated rebel outfit of his brother Shivpal Yadav, leaving his party workers wondering where his sympathies lie. Coming barely a month after his second son Prateek Yadav’s wife Aparna Yadav openly expressed her support to uncle Shivpal Yadav, the SP patriarch’s visit to both the outfits during the day compounded the confusion of party workers in the run up to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. “We have been left wondering with whom Netaji’s (Mulayam) sympathies lie and which party to work for,” said a veteran party worker, requesting anonymity. Mulayam Singh first reached the office of his brother’s fledgling party, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSPL) at 6, Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, where he exchanged pleasantries with him and where he was even requested to don the mantle of the new outfit’s president. And then he drove down to the nearby headquarter of his party, headed by his son and briefly addressed the party workers, giving them his ‘mantra’ on how to win the next Lok Sabha elections. [caption id=“attachment_4232509” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Mulayam Singh Yadav. PTI[/caption] “I have offered the party president’s post to ‘Netaji’ (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and a ticket to contest the LS election from the Mainpuri seat. Our party will carry forward the Lohia ideologies,” said Shivpal Yadav. “We have formed the party with the blessings of ‘Netaji’,” he said as enthusiastic party workers garlanded Mulayam Singh Yadav, who, however, remained non-committal to Shivpal’s public offer of the new party’s presidentship. At the PSPL office, Mulayam was also offered the new party’s flag by Shivpal Yadav and both of them posed before shutterbugs. Shivpal Yadav was recently allotted by the Yogi Adityanath government the sprawling bungalow at Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, vacated by BSP supremo Mayawati on Supreme Court orders. The SP workers’ confusion began last month when Prateek Yadav’s wife participated in a function organised by Shivpal Yadav and expressed her support for him. She was reported as promising to work towards strengthening the PSPL. Aparna Yadav, who shared the stage with Shivpal Yadav, had said, “I have always respected chachaji and Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and we will work towards making the Secular Morcha (of Shivpal Yadav) stronger.” Aparna Yadav had also said Shivpal Yadav would decide a suitable time for her to join and contest from the Secular Morcha. Previously too, Mulayam Singh Yadav had made an appearance at a function along side his brother Shivpal Yadav after he launched his new outfit. The event was organised to mark the death anniversary of the party ideologue Ram Manohar Lohia. Though on that occasion Mulayam Singh Yadav had refrained from taking questions from the media, Shivpal Yadav had expressed happiness over the presence of his elder brother. “On Tuesday, Netaji has graced the occasion with his presence and has given us his blessings. I am sure he will continue to give us his blessings in the future also,” he had said. In August, Shivpal Yadav had launched ‘Samajwadi Secular Morcha’ after expressing his disappointment with the Samajwadi Party leadership.