Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday dealt a severe blow to his uncle Shivpal Yadav, sacking him from the State cabinet. Three other ministers-cabinet ministers Narad Rai and Om Prakash Singh, and MoS Shadab Fatima-were also sacked.
Controversial Minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati was also sacked. He had been sacked earlier by Akhilesh but had to be brought back to the cabinet on insistence of Mulayam.
Mr. Yadav took the drastic step after a meeting with State MLAs and MLCs at his official residence in Lucknow. Shivpal Yadav and some MLAs loyal to him were not invited.
He had convened the meeting a day before SP chief Mulayam Singh is scheduled to hold a crucial meeting with party legislators, former MPs and MLAs, candidates and block heads, in indicating of the seriousness of the feud.
The MLAs who attended Mr. Yadav’s meeting said he told them anybody close to Amar Singh had no place in his cabinet.
Earlier in the day, SP general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Ramgopal Yadav wrote a one-page letter to party workers endorsing Akhilesh as the future of party. In a hand-written note released at 6 am with a dateline Mumbai, Mr. Ramgopal appealed his “dear colleagues” to ensure that a State government was formed under the leadership of his nephew.
He said those supporting Akhilesh were “positive” while his detractors were “negative.” A cousin of Mulayam Singh, Mr. Ramgopal also distinguished between those supporting Akhilesh, saying they had “spilled blood for the party and made great sacrifices,” from those in the rival camp, alleging they had “minted crores and misused power.”
“Those opposing Akhilesh will not be able to see the face of the Vidhan Sabha. The Rath Yatra is the noose in the rival’s neck…Don’t get perturbed, don’t be jolted. Where Akhilesh is, victory follows,” Mr. Ramgopal wrote.
