Battle rages, Mulayam looks outside

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav today appeared to look beyond the power tussle between his son and brother, taking a step towards his gimmick of uniting "secular forces" ahead of next year's Uttar Pradesh elections. Sources said Mulayam sent brother Shivpal Singh Yadav out of Lucknow for two days to invite leaders for the Samajwadi silver jubilee programme scheduled in Lucknow on November 5. The invitees include Janata Dal Secular leader H.D. Deve Gowda, Janata Dal United leaders Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad. "The whole idea is to send across a message that he is trying to unite secular forces before the Uttar Pradesh elections. He has assigned the task to Shivpal to keep him busy elsewhere," a senior Samajwadi leader said. Shivpal left for Delhi in the afternoon with the invitation letters. But before that, he suspended the minister of state for forests, Tej Narayan Pandey aka Pawan Pandey, from the party on charges of indiscipline. Pandey, the Ayodhya MLA and a Brahmin face of the party, is loyal to Mulayam's son and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. Shivpal announced his decision this morning when Akhilesh was holding a meeting of ministers, MLAs and MLCs to ensure the success of his Samajwadi Vikas Rath Yatra starting from November 3. Pandey was present at the meeting. "He has been suspended from the party for attacking Ashu Malik, a party MLC, on October 24. I have taken this decision in consultation with the Samajwadi national president. I have also written to the chief minister to suspend Pandey from the government," Shivpal said. Akhilesh has, however, ignored Shivpal's suggestion to remove Pandey from the council of ministers. Later in the day, Akhilesh met governor Ram Naik. Raj Bhavan sources said it was a courtesy call before the governor leaves for Mumbai to celebrate Diwali with his family. Pandey told reporters he was not bothered about Shivpal. "Let him suspend me. It hardly affects me. "I am in the Samajwadi Party to work with Netaji (Mulayam) and Akhilesh and will continue working for them. We will work hard for the success of the chief minister's rath yatra," he said. Trouble had started in the Samajwadi Party on September 13 when Mulayam replaced Akhilesh with Shivpal as the state party president. In reaction, Akhilesh had divested Shivpal of the public works, irrigation and revenue ministries. But after a few days, he was reinstated as irrigation and revenue minister. As the tussle continued, Shivpal suspended five MLCs and six youth wings leaders loyal to Akhilesh. Eventually, he also suspended Ram Gopal Yadav, the party general secretary and spokesperson, for writing a letter to Mulayam against him. Furious, Akhilesh sacked Shivpal and his three aides from his cabinet on October 23. A leader close to Mulayam told this newspaper that initiation of pan-India politics could stop the chain of action and reaction in the Yadav family. Shivpal met JDU secretary general K.C. Tyagi today to invite Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and Sharad Yadav and spoke to both the leaders over the phone. He also telephoned Ajit Singh. Shivpal could travel to Patna to meet Lalu Prasad. "Shivpal Yadav met me and talked to Nitish Kumar and stressed the need for the coming together of like-minded parties under the leadership of Mulayam Singh Yadav," Tyagi said. Asked if the JDU supported the move, Tyagi said: "Nitish Kumar's stand has been politically vindicated. Nitish has already given a call for an anti-BJP front and now Mulayam Singhji is supporting it." Mulayam had scuttled Nitish's plan to merge all these parties formed after the Janata Dal disintegrated - JDU, RJD, RLD, JDS and INLD - into one strong party ahead of the Bihar elections last year. But the Samajwadi patriarch now appears to be wooing Janata parivar leaders as he faces a crisis in his party. More than Mulayam, Shivpal is keen to get their support, sources said. Shivpal had said two days ago that Ram Gopal was hand in glove with the BJP and had conspired to halt the mahagathbandhan in 2015. Observers, however, pointed out that Mulayam has always left his allies in the lurch and sided with the party in power at the Centre. Asked who the JDU would prefer between the two - Mulayam and Akhilesh - Tyagi avoided a direct reply. "Why will Akhilesh split? He will remain with the Samajwadi Party and we are sure the party will remain united," he said.