In order to strike a political balance between warring Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday made the chief minister the head of party parliamentary board while the senior leader will remain head of the party in Uttar Pradesh.
The parliamentary board is the apex policy determining unit of the party and all the important decisions are taken by it. Heading parliamentary board means that Akhilesh will have an ultimate say in all important decisions including the distribution of tickets in coming assembly polls.
Akhilesh has restored the lost glory of his uncle and has given him more ministries. Besides the old portfolios, Shivpal will now have medical education and minor irrigation departments too. This makes the number of ministries under him 13. However the CM has kept with him the PWD department, which was with Shivpal earlier.
The chief minister also congratulated his uncle on his new role and urged his supporters not to shout anti-Shivpal slogans. Majority of SP youths, since the morning, have been protesting against the decision of Mulayam to make Shivpal the state head of the party, a post which was taken away from Akhilesh. Minor clashes took place between the supports of the uncle and the nephew and the administration had to call heavy security force to prevent any untoward incident.
Addressing his supporters, the chief minister said, “the decision has been taken by Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and I will abide by it.” Earlier in the morning, Akhilesh went to his uncle’s house and the duo had a long discussion there. While returning, he said, “I had gone to my uncle’s place, not to the house of party state president. We all will follow the decision of Netaji, and Shvipal will head the party in the state on which I have congratulated him.”
