Akhilesh calls truce, invites Mulayam for national meet

With Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav taking first step, his son and party president Akhilesh Yadav finally called a truce with his father on Thursday by making a surprise visit and inviting him for the party's national convention to be held in Agra on October 5.

But it took Akhilesh three months to cover a distance of barely 70 metres to drive down to 5, Vikramaditya Marg, his father's palatial bungalow, from his official government residence 4-A on the same VIP Road.

After exchanging pleasantries, Akhilesh officially extended invitation to Mulayam to attend the convention, in which he would be re-elected as the party national president. Mulayam accepted the invitation and assured the son to witness his re-election.

Bruised egos were eased out and differences buried when the father and son closeted for an hour in a room. Both wiped moist eyes when emotions ran high, even as Mulayam pointed to Akhilesh's political blunders in the last one year. The father gave some valuable political tips to the son, including that "bloated egos have no place in politics".

Briefing mediapersons about Akhilesh's sudden visit to Mulayam, Samajwadi Party MLC Sunil Sajan said the party president had gone there to extend a formal invitation to party patron for national convention in Agra on October 5.

"Netaji (as Mulayam is popularly known in Samajwadi Party circles) has accepted the invitation and has given his consent to attend the national convention. After all, he is the founder and patron of the Samajwadi Party," said Sajan.

Significantly, Shivpal has not been extended any invitation till date for the national convention.

With Mulayam agreeing to attend the meet, speculations are rife that Akhilesh might hand over the party national president's post back to his father and he would act as working president with all presidential powers vested to him.

"Netaji is upset ever since he was removed from the national president's post on January 1, 2017. This formula is being worked out to buy permanent peace within the party and the family," confided a senior SP functionary.

In fact, the script of Thursday's truce was scripted on September 25 itself when Mulayam had announced that his blessings to his son Akhilesh would continue and had turned down his brother Shivpal's plea to announce floating of a new political party.

With Shivpal 'betrayed' by Mulayam and isolated within Samajwadi Party, it was time for Akhilesh to bury hatchets and call it a truce with his father Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Even though Mulayam stayed away from the party state convention, Akhilesh had announced emotionally: "Netaji was not only his father but founder of the party. We are here only to carry forward his legacy. His blessings would always remain with us."

SHIVPAL UPSET

• Mulayam’s refusal to float new party has left brother Shivpal nowhere.
   
• Political observers feel he is left with only a few choices now.
   
• First is to surrender and work under Akhilesh and later regroup and float a new party.
   
• Other is to join JD-U led by Sharad Yadav.