A day after Yadav accepted Singh’s resignation from all party posts, the high-profile Singh elaborated on his plans at a frenzied media briefing, which had more of Singh’s “followers” in attendance than journalists.
The battlelines within the Samajwadi Party (SP) have been drawn. On one side is SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s clan and on the other are former party general secretary Amar Singh and his motley group of followers.
A day after Yadav accepted Singh’s resignation from all party posts, the high-profile Singh elaborated on his plans at a frenzied media briefing, which had more of Singh’s “followers” in attendance than journalists.
There was actor Sanjay Dutt, an SP general secretary, who too has resigned from his post, claiming he would follow Singh wherever he goes.
It was evident that barbs, reserved for Yadav’s relatives (younger brother Shivpal, cousin Ram Gopal Yadav and nephew Dharmendra) so far, would be aimed at the SP chief as well.
Singh continues to be a party member and if his announcements are any indication, the maverick leader may hope to cause an implosion in the party on vital issues at a time when the SP is facing successive electoral setbacks.
Singh had said that he had taken a vow to never speak against the SP chief, but through his proclamations broke the promise. For starters, Singh announced that “veteran party leader Janeshwar Mishraji (Singh’s detractor) had once told me that I should become a samajwadi (socialist) and not a Mulayamwadi (Mulayamite). I will heed his advice now.”
He said that after his recent experiences in the party, he had realised the importance of Rabindranath Tagore’s slogan ‘ekla chalo (walk alone)’. He said he would reach out to “true Samajwadis”, such as Madhya Pradesh leader Raghu Thakur, across the country. Triggering speculation that he would launch his own outfit, Singh said he would soon initiate a mass contact programme, meeting “kshatriyas and members of the most backward classes”.
He claimed that he would not quit the party until “booted out”.
Singh made every attempt to contradict the view that Yadav’s political views until now were a reflection of his agenda. He contradicted the SP’s stand against trifurcation of Uttar Pradesh (UP) into Poorvanchal, Harit Pradesh and Bundelkhand.
And positioning himself as a leader of the Poorvanchal (where Singh’s home turf Azamgarh lies ) cause, Singh said he was deeply influenced by K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR, who became the face of the pro-Telangana agitation after a fast-unto-death) and that if his health would permit, he would follow KCR’s lead “to see if by this method Poorvanchal can be formed”.
However, Singh, who maintained that he had resigned from party posts on health grounds, showed no signs of ailing. His announcements were indicative of a man ostracised within a camp in which he once “called the shots”, and is now desperately seeking a “new lease of political life”.
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