Akhilesh Yadav Sacks Shivpal From Ministry, Mulayam Camp Expels Ram Gopal

The Yadav family feud pushed the Samajwadi Party to the brink of a split on Sunday with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav sacking his uncle Shivpal Yadav who then paid him back by expelling the CM's trusted advisor Ram Gopal Yadav from the party.

After a meeting of party legislators at his residence in Lucknow, Akhilesh recommended to Governor Ram Naik that four pro-Amar Singh MLAs - Shivpal, Narad Rai, Om Prakash Singh and Sayeda Shadab Fatima (MoS - Independent charge) - be sacked from his ministry.

Sources told CNN-News18 that party supremo and Akhilesh's father, Mulayam Singh Yadav, when he was in a huddle with five other senior members when Shivpal walked in. Five minutes later a member of the staff told the stunned leaders that TV channels were flashing that Shivpal and three others were sacked. Within hours Shivpal, who is the SP state unit chief, retaliated by expelling Akhilesh's uncle and party general secretary, Ram Gopal.

Mulayam's Meeting on Monday

The developments came a day ahead of a mega meeting of party MPs, MLAs, MLCs and ministers convened by Mulayam where some tough decisions are likely to be taken. Akhilesh is learnt to have told his supporters that he will attend the meeting.

The day began with Ram Gopal dropping a letter bomb, drawing the line between those with and against Akhilesh and giving a clarion call to party workers to rally behind the CM in the upcoming UP elections.

Around 10AM Akhilesh drove down to Mulayam's house at 5 Vikramaditya Marg where in a meeting that lasted over 30 minutes he is learnt to have told his father that Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh should be removed from the party.

Amar, the Bugbear

An hour later, at the meeting held at the CM's residence in 5, KD Marg, MLAs, and MLCs close to him passed the unanimous resolution minister seen as close to Amar Singh must be sacked.

The sackings took the party patriarch by surprise, but within a short while, the old guard announced a retaliatory strike against Ram Gopal accusing him of colluding with the BJP.

Shivpal said his removal from the Akhilesh ministry was an attempt by some people to weaken the SP. "In 2017 we will form the government under the leadership of Netaji (Mulayam)," he said.