War in SP: Akhilesh meets UP Governor after Shivpal sacks CM's close aide
Lucknow: Amid a bitter power struggle in the ruling Samajwadi Party, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday met Governor Ram Naik and briefed him on the prevailing political situation in the state.
Meanwhile, UP SP chief Shivpal Yadav moved out of his official home after being sacked as minister for a second time, said reports.
Triggering speculation in political circles, Akhilesh paid a sudden visit to the Raj Bhawan when he was in the middle of a meeting with party legislators and seniors to finalise details of his proposed 'rath yatra' from November 3.
The sudden visit caught everyone by surprise, though some said an appointment had been sought in advance.
Raj Bhawan sources said Akhilesh briefed the Governor on the prevailing political situation in the state.
SP sources said the visit might have been in connection with the four vacancies in the ministry after Akhilesh sacked his uncle Shivpal Yadav, Om Prakash Singh, Narad Rai and Sayeda Shadaab Fatima in a sudden move on Sunday, plunging the party into a deeper chaos.
At the one-on-one meeting which lasted about 15 minutes, neither side had their secretaries or officials to assist them.
The Raj Bhawan officially described the meeting as a "courtesy call".
The Raj Bhawan sources, however, said the Governor had asked the chief minister to apprise him about the latest political situation in the state where Assembly election is scheduled for early next year.
Reports were doing the rounds that the Governor had sought a list of MLAs to ensure that Akhilesh still enjoyed majority in the Assembly.
The sources rubbished the reports saying neither the Governor had sought any such list nor any such document was handed over to him by Akhilesh.
Earlier in the day, Shivpal, who is also the state SP chief, expelled Tejnarain Pandey alias Pawan Pandey and wrote to the chief minister requesting that he be sacked from the ministry. Pandey is a junior minister in the Akhilesh government.
The feud in the Samajwadi Party showed no signs of ending though Shivpal maintained even on Wednesday that there was no dispute in the Samajwadi Party and the Mulayam Singh Yadav family.
Pawan Pandey had clashed with SP MLC Ashu Malik at party meet and also beaten him up. "Pawan Pandey is being expelled from Samajwadi Party for six years on charges of indiscipline," Shivpal announced at a press conference at the party headquarters here.
Shivpal said he has written a letter to the chief minister requesting him to sack Pandey from his ministry.
Replying to questions, Shivpal maintained there was no dispute in the Samajwadi Party and the Mulayam family.
Pandey had allegedly beaten up SP MLC Ashu Malik. Malik had alleged that he was slapped by him at the chief minister’s residence.
"Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had called me to clarify things related to a news article published in an English daily wherein Akhilesh Yadav was referred to as Aurangzeb and SP Chief Mulayam Singh as Shahjahan," Malik had told reporters after the incident.
"When I was at CM?s residence, party leader Pawan Pandey came and attacked me. He slapped me twice," he said.
"I was asked to show up as the chief minister wanted to clarify things related to the news article in front of people but my presence was misunderstood by others," he said.
Malik said that Akhilesh was not present at his residence when the incident took place. Malik had lodged a written complaint against Pandey accusing him of attacking him, but no FIR has been registered in the matter so far.
Shivpal's latest move to expel Pandey, who is close to Akhilesh, comes a day after SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav sought to project an 'all is well' image. The "party and family are united", he had said on Tuesday.
