Lucknow: The looming danger of electoral reverses on Thursday brought the feuding first family of UP's ruling Samajwadi Party together as party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav flagged off son Akhilesh Yadav's 'rath yatra' and Shivpal, with whom the chief minister was locked in a bitter power struggle, extended him his "best wishes".
With the strife between his chief minister son and younger brother Shivpal Yadav threatening to derail the party's campaign barely months ahead of the assembly polls, Mulayam played the role of a peacemaker and brought the two together on one platform at an event, which many felt would be a solo Akhilesh show.
However, ending days of suspense, Mulayam turned up at La Martinere grounds, the venue for the flagging off of Akhilesh Yadav's 'Vikas Se Vijay Ki Ore' yatra, with Shivpal, who heads the SP's state unit, in tow.
Mulayam took his seat on stage and was soon flanked by Akhilesh on one side and Shivpal on the other, as he sought to drive home the message that the party was united ahead of the polls and that he still could call the shots in the party buffeted by the turf war between his son and brother.
"Akhilesh ko hum shubhkamna detey hain (I wish Akhilesh well)," Shivpal said, adding the chief minister's chariot march will send a message of unity across the state and halt BJP in its tracks.
"Our target is to prevent BJP from coming to power in the state in the crucial 2017 elections," he said.
Before embarking on the highly-publicised rath yatra to highlight the development works undertaken by him during the last over four years, the 43-year-old chief minister said, "I want to thank youths for this historic event...From this yatra, we appeal to people to vote in favour of our party."
Akhilesh, however, referred to "conspiracies" which adversely affected the party. "Due to some conspiracies we were affected a bit, but in the days to come we will be able to form government again," Akhilesh, who has been blaming SP MP and his father's friend Amar Singh for the troubles in the party and family, said.
Days preceding Thursday's event had seen the debilitating battle of attrition between Akhilesh and Shivpal leading to tit-for-tat sacking of ministers and leaders on rival sides. Even Shivpal was sacked as minister by Akhilesh, after Mulayam, apparently siding with his brother and Amar Singh, expelled his own counsin and SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav from the party for six years. Ram Gopal, a Rajya Sabha member, has been backing Akhilesh in the battle for Mulayam's legacy. More "I am happy Netaji (Mulayam), Shivpal all have come... more will join in due course," the Chief Minister said during his journey and hoped differences, if any, will disappear as elections draw near.
"I have the blessings of Azam Khan and I hope he will join me later in the yatra," he said in reply to a reporter's query, as the senior cabinet minister was conspicuous by his absence.
Flagging off the shiny red Mercedes Benz 'rath', Mulayam reminded the party workers about how difficult following the socialist ideology was and congratulated Akhilesh on the launch of his march.
"The path of Samajwad (socialism) is difficult...I have faced lathis in agitations. This Samajwadi movement was built on sacrifices. SP is party of sacrifice and struggle. I know when there is lathicharge, barring 4-5 persons, who stay back, everyone runs away," he said.
"I congratulate Akhilesh for the yatra and wish him all success," he said.
However, the show of unity in the Yadav clan notwithstanding, faultlines within the party became visible once again when Akhilesh told journalists that he was not aware of any attempts at forming a coalition with other parties.
"National president will decide what is to be done. He will take decision after giving due thought. I am not aware if a coalition has come into existence or not. I also don't know what is being discussed. If a coalition is formed, political parties have to decide themselves who will lose or gain," he said.
Amid the widening chasm in his family and party, Mulayam had sent Shivpal to meet leaders of various parties including Nitish Kumar's JD(U) and RLD's Ajit Singh, apparently to invite them to Samajwadi Party's Golden Jubilee celebrations on Saturday. Shivpal had gone on record favouring an alliance of 'Lohiawadi' (socialists), 'Charan Singh wadi' (RLD) and 'Mahatmawai' (Congress) forces to defeat the "communal" BJP in the assembly polls.
Congress' election strategist Prashant Kishor had recently met Mulayam in Delhi, triggering speculation of a Bihar-like "mahagathbandhan".
However, Nitish Kumar voiced doubt about such a coalition materialising as it would require coming together of the two main parties in UP--Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's BSP.
Ahead of the flagging off of Akhilesh's march, the enthusiasm among the youth leaders was palpable right since early morning with hordes of young party workers donning red caps making a bee line for the venue, the place where he had taken oath as Chief Minister in 2012.
As some youths jostled to reach the venue, Shivpal advised them to calm down. "Josh mein hosh na kho dein (don't lose your cool in enthusiasm)," he said.
Ahead of the flag off event, Ramgopal Yadav's son and MP Akshay Yadav said, "People will vote for Akhilesh. We will contest in his name and win."
Brushing aside remarks that Akhilesh was a "trainee chief minister," his wife Dimple, a Lok Sabha member, said, "If a trainee can do so much work, you can imagine was he will do in his second term as a professional".
Seeking to project a picture of unity, she said, "Need blessings from all party elders. Past events forgotten, we need to be together," she said.
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