Mulayam ticks off son in public rally

Lucknow- Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav was publicly rebuked by his father, Samajwadi boss Mulayam Singh Yadav, on Tuesday. “Aye mukhya mantri sun lo! (CM, listen) . Stooges are running your government and officers are sitting over clearances. Officers are delaying clearances. These stooges always cheat you, and they are not good for your image,” he said, as the CM smiled weakly.

 

He asked Akhilesh Yadav to keep a distance from “sycophants”, adding, “You (Akhilesh) shouldn’t fall in the trap of sycophants. You’ve become habituated to hearing ‘Sir’. The outcome of those who fall in the trap of sycophants is not good.”

The SP chief delivered a 10 day ultimatum to ministers and state officials to “mend their ways”, warning that otherwise they would “face action”.

 

Continuing his diatribe at a gathering at the CM’s house, the senior Yadav said: “I haven’t reviewed the work of state ministers, but I know what they are doing. The party is bigger than the government, and this government is weakening the party.”

Pointing to Azam Khan, he said: “The time has come for you all to pull up your socks. Things are going wrong and you also know it. Please start working and I will talk to you later.”

 

In an obvious reference to UP minister Anand Singh, whose son recently joined the BJP, the SP chief said: “Some persons are trying to betray me, and think that they will continue as ministers. This will not be allowed to happen.”

He said officers should take prompt decisions on files instead of holding them back, and that the government should provide facilities like roads, electricity and water to the people. “I have come to know one important file was held back for almost a month, and I had to intervene to get it back,” he said.

 

Mulayam Yadav’s outburst on Tuesday made it amply clear he is aware of the declining popularity graph of his party and government and wants to set things right before the SP’s performance in the Lok Sabha polls is adversely affected.