Truce after Mulayam cracking the whip * Supporters defy, shout slogans against Yadav bros
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday cracked the whip to restore order in his party as the power tussle within the SP and the ruling Yadav clan spilt out on the streets. There were ugly scenes outside Mulayam's house as hundreds of youth supporters of UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav openly engaged in skirmishes and bouts of slogan shouting.
Things got worse as slogans were raised against Mulayam, too. For the first time, the patriarch's own leadership is being questioned from within the party. The burlesque that unfolded on Saturday would make a countryside circus look elementary. For his part, Mulayam seemed to be trying out all his political fire-fighting skills but without much success.
Though he announced Akhilesh's elevation in the party, making him chairman of the parliamentary board (which decides on election tickets) Mulayam for the most part stood behind his brother Shivpal. He even admonished Akhilesh for acting whimsically, and his supporters for creating nuisance.
"I have nurtured this party with my blood. I will not allow this 'tamasha' (spectacle)," he said angrily while addressing the SP's youth cadre who had been shouting slogans and protesting.
"Why did Akhilesh snatch (Shivpal's) departments. There is democracy in the party. You can't act whimsically like this. My word is final," he asserted, adding that he had all the authority to reverse Akhilesh's decisions. He said Shivpal will remain state president and all his departments would be returned.
Earlier, hundreds of youth SP workers sang 'bhajans' on the street before the party HQ here, a stone's throw from Mulayam's house, demanding Akhilesh be reinstated as state president. They were soon countered by Shivpal's supporters.
While the Shivpal brigade wore T-shirts with their leader's picture on the chest, Akhilesh supporters wore red caps. Some of them even climbed trees or waved T-shirts a la Sourav Ganguly to catch the TV media's attention.
Some flaunted pamphlets with the legend "Chacha ko hatao / Sapa ko bachao" (remove the uncle and save the party) while others beat party MP Amar Singh's posters with shoes, apparently blaming him for the entire mess.
Akhilesh later called the protestors inside the CM house, a big and rather rare occasion for the youth workers, and appealed to them to remain calm. He later told reporters that he would work in tandem with Shivpal for the party's victory in the upcoming election.
"I went to meet 'chacha' today… not the state president," he said, tongue-in-cheek. "I have myself congratulated him, and I will support him in every way," he added.
The young CM sounded philosophical as he said: "Politics is not a game. It's serious business. I have been a good player and I never commit self-goals."
A truce seems to have been reached for the time being. But no one is convinced that it would be long-lasting as the fire continue to simmer on both sides.
Terms of truce
# Akhilesh is now chief of parliamentary board, that decides on election candidates. But Mulayam wields the veto power.
# Akhilesh will not be reinstated as state president, Shivpal Yadav will remain UP SP chief.
# Departments held by Shivpal returned, along with some bonus ones. Earlier, he had nine, now 13.
# Shivpal loses most important PWD portfolio, Akhilesh perhaps want to show who the leader is.
# Mulayam protégé Gayatri Prajapati to be reinstated, but won't get the earlier-held mining ministry.
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