SP feud: TMC says it stands by Akhilesh Yadav, 'the most popular leader' of UP

Kolkata: Terming Akhilesh Yadav as the “most popular leader” of Uttar Pradesh, the TMC on Monday said it stands with the UP CM in the ongoing rift in the Samajwadi Party. [caption id=“attachment_3105498” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Akhilesh Yadav. AP[/caption] “Akhilesh is the most popular leader in Uttar Pradesh. He is a very affectionate boy. We share a very cordial relation with him,” TMC all-India vice-president Mukul Roy told reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Kolkata. Although it was an internal matter of the SP, the TMC stands with Akhilesh and would continue to support him fully, he said. The Samajwadi Party on Sunday split down the middle with the faction headed by Chief Minister Akhilesh removing Mulayam as party chief and appointing him in his place at a convention in which the group claimed support of the majority of legislators and district units. Mulayam had retorted by again expelling his cousin Ram Gopal for six years along with national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda, who chaired the convention, and general secretary Naresh Agarwal for taking part in it.