Lucknow: RAJENDRA Chaudhari is perhaps the most visible face of the Uttar Pradesh government after chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. The grey-headed socialist, bent slightly double with age, has been a permanent fix in government photo-ops along with the young CM as if to add a dab of maturity to every frame.
On Sunday afternoon, just few hours after formally taking over as the state president of the Samajwadi Party, Shivpal Yadav struck the first blow by sacking Chaudhari as the spokesperson of the party, a post he had held since SP’s founding over 25 years ago. Within a few hours, Chaudhari was seen moving out of the party HQ in Lucknow with his personal belongings.
The next to go was Arvind Yadav, Ram Gopal Yadav’s nephew and member of legislative council. A day later, Shivpal expelled six youth leaders and close aides of Akhilesh Yadav for anti-party activities. Of these four had been hand-picked by the CM to lead front organisations.
In the last 48 hours since Shivpal cemented his new position as the state president of SP, he has sacked seven Akhilesh loyalists including three MLCs on a raft of charges from anti-party activities to making charges against party leadership.
It’s not just rancour, say political observers, arguing that there could be more to this methodical purge of Akhilesh supporters within the party. Shivpal is using the crisis to bequeath his political legacy on to his son Aditya Yadav.
Crisis came calling on the ruling Samajwadi party in Uttar Pradesh last week after CM Akhilesh effected a series of purges in the government and bureaucracy sacking confidantes of his uncle Shivpal. As if to restore balance of power, Mulayam replaced Akhilesh with Shivpal as state party chief.
The dust settled with Shivpal retaining his cabinet portfolios (apart from PWD that he held prior to the crisis) besides the newly-acquired party state chief’s post. The understanding was that Akhilesh could be made the parliamentary party head or be given more say in selecting candidates for the assembly polls slated for next year.
In fact, a day after he was stripped of key portfolios, Shivpal Yadav flew down to Delhi and drove straight to brother Mulayam Singh Yadav's residence on Ashok Road. Later in the evening, meeting his supporters at UP Sadan in Chanakyapuri he reminisced about his fond relationship with nephew Akhilesh.
I have also been a teacher to Akhilesh for a long time"; he remarked.
After a brief pause, he turned his head and broke into a quintessential titter.
But this time around, as he flexed his muscles to take the battle to the streets of Lucknow against the Chief Minister, he played a perfect political mentor to his own son Aditya.
An MBA from Lucknow University, Shivpal's son Aditya is the chairman of the State Corporative Federation. He has so far been managing his father's assembly constituency Jaswantnagar in Etawah district.
For the first time, Aditya accompanied Shivpal for every important political negotiation in the last one week. He was by his father's side when Shivpal rushed to Delhi to settle matters with Mulayam and also during the brief 10 minute meeting with the CM which was followed by his resignation from both government and as state chief.
Soon Shivpal supporters were at his gate, protesting against treatment meted out to their leader. It was well past midnight that Shivpal came out to placate them. A bench was strategically placed for Shivpal to step up so that TV cameras could capture the moment.
On Shivpal's right, stood a tall bespectacled lad learning the ropes of the trade.
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